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BOOK   973.372  P5I6N  c2 

-HELPS   ,   NEWOAT/S.'|o«.Ecr,CUT 


3  T1S3  ooosan?  3 


NORTH-WEST  VIEW  OF  OLD  PRISON.  1876. 


OLD  PRISON  RUINS. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT; 


ORIGIN   AND   EARLY   HISTORY. 

BBINO  Jl  full  description  OF  THE 

FAMOUS  AND  WONDERFUL  SIMSBURY  MINES  AND  CAVERNS, 

AND  THE  PRISON  BUILT  OVER  THEM. 

TO  WHICH  IS   ADDED 

▲  KELATION    OF   ALL   THE   INCIDENTS,  IN8UBKECTIONS,  AND   MA8SACKBS,  CON* 

NECTED  WITH   THEIR   USE   AS   A   PRISON   FOR   THE    TORIES   DURINQ 

THE   REVOLUTION,    AND    OTHERWISE  ;    WITH    INTERESTING 

SKETCHES    OF   THEIR    SURROUNDINGS, 

IN    (now)    EAST   GRANBT. 

ALSO, 
AN  ILLUSTRATED  DESCRIPTION  OP  THE 

STATE  PRISON  AT  ^\^ETB[ERSFIE1L.D. 


BY 

RICHARD    H.    PHELPS. 


HARTFORD,    CONN  : 
AMERICAN  PUBLISHING   COMPANY. 


twTERED  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1876,  by  the 

AMERICAN  PUBLISHING  CO., 
la  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C 


PREFACE. 


In  this  Centennial  Year — 1876 — it  is  useful  to  review  the  inci- 
dents relating  to  our  early  history  which  ilhistrate  tlie  manners, 
and  the  civil,  religious,  and  criminal  policy  of  former  times.  The 
records  of  deeds  and  events,  apparently  of  slight  moment  at  the 
time  of  their  occurrence,  increase  in  importance  as  ages  roll 
away,  and  are  the  indices  by  which  we  estimate  the  truth  of 
history. 

There  is  an  exciting  fascination  in  the  eventful  history  of 
Newgate  of  Connecticut  to  all  who  have  been  familiar  with 
it,  especially  to  those  who,  like  the  writer,  have  resided  in  its 
vicinity  and  witnessed  man}'  of  its  scenes  ;  and  to  judge  by  the 
numbers  who  come  from  afar  to  explore  its  caverns  and  the  ruins 
which  now  cover  its  grounds,  it  will  long  continue  to  be  an  object 
of  interest  and  examination.  The  aged  residents  in  its  vicinity 
are  nearly  all  gone  ;  but  this  prison-fortress  will  doubtless  long 
remain  and  continue  to  be  a  place  of  classic  interest.  The  trav- 
eller will  inquire.  Who  built  these  towers?  Wh}^  these  iron 
grates,  these  trenches,  and  these  walls?  How  came  these  huge 
caverns  to  be  dug  out  of  solid  rock?  Surely  the  echo  of  the 
caverns  cannot  answer,  nor  the  people  who  lived  cotemporane- 
ousl}'  with  their  use. 

The  facts  herein  presented  have  been  gathered  from  a  variety 
of  sources.  Besides  what  came  within  the  knowledge  of  the 
writer,  he  has  availed  himself  of  the  statistics  afforded  by  ancient 
colonial  and  state  records ;  of  the  verbal  statements  kindly  fur- 
nished by  the  few  aged  persons  still  living ;  and  of  other  facts 
preserved  from  the  recorded  relations  of  witnesses  long  since 
passed  awa3\ 

The  first  edition,  in  pamphlet  form,  printed  thirt3'-two  years 
ago,  and  the  larger  work  published  in  1860  have  been  revised, 
and  additional  matter  of  interest  herein  incorporated.  Also 
appended  is  a  historical  sketch  of  East  Granby  (the  present 
location  of  the  old  prison),  and  an  account  of  the  state  prison 
at  Wethersfield. 

BiCHARD    II.    PhELPB. 

East  Granby,  Conn.,  1876. 


NOTE   TO   PREFACE 


Since  the  decease  of  Richard  H.  Phelps,  the  author  of  this 
History,  who  died  at  his  home  in  East  Granby,  Conn.,  in  1885, 
the  writer  of  this  note  has  met  with  additional  matter  regarding 
the  ancient  prison,  a  large  portion  being  in  the  nature  of  "  facts 
that  ain't  so  "  mostly  manufactured  by  bright  correspondents  of 
metropolitan  journals.  Using  this  authentic  history  as  a  base  of 
supplies  (usually  without  credit),  they  have  foraged  about  for 
ghastly  legends  invented  by  a  later  generation  ;  their  tales  of 
horror  are  not  incorporated  in  this  volume,  enough  real  tragedies 
having  been  enacted  at  Newgate  to  sufficiently  thrill  the  reader  of 
the  following  pages.  Even  in  modern  prisons  insurrections  and 
murders  sometimes  occur,  and  the  facts  do  not  show  that  the  science 
of  penology  was  any  more  misapplied  at  Newgate  than  at  other 
jails  or  prisons  of  that  period.  The  late  author  aimed  strictly  at 
accuracy;  and  it  is  the  wish  of  his  son,  the  present  writer,  to  im- 
press upon  the  thoughtful  reader  the  sentiments  in  the  Preface. 
The  author  refers  to  "  the  aged  persons  "  then  living,  from  whom 
many  of  the  facts  were  originally  gathered  by  him  nearly  seventy 
years  ago.      Those  venerable  people  failed  to  foresee  the  works  of 

these  imaginative  generations,  then  unborn. 

RoswELL  H.  Phelps. 

East  Granby,  Conn.,  August,  1901. 


NEWGATE   OF  CONNECTICUT. 

Origin  of  its  Title— Our  Puritan  Ancestors— The  Mines  of  Simsbury— 

Granby  and  Copper  Hill 13 


Discovery  of  Copper — The  First  Company  Organized — Three  Clergy- 
men Appointed  Smelters— Their  Unsuccessful  Efforts — The  Pro- 
prietors are  disgusted — An  Act  passed  to  regulate  the  Mines— King 
George's  right  to  a  Royalty  Acknowledged— The  Work  Abandoned.     14 

GRANBY    COPPEBS. 

Coins  made  from  Granby  Metal — Mr.  Iligleys's  Operations — The  Sledge- 
hammer and  the  Crown— Colonial  Bills  of  Credit— Provision  Pay- 
Prompt  Payment  of  the  Colonial  Bills 19 

RECENT   MINING. 

The  Old  Mines  Re-opened— The  Phoenix  Mining  Co.— The  Connecticut 
Copper  Company — Depreciated  Continental  Currency — Curious 
letter  a  Century  Old— Analysis  of  the  Copper  Ore— Silliman's 
Survey  of  the  Mines 23 

IMPRISONMENT     OF    THE     TORIES. 

The  Mine  transformed  into  a  Dungeon— Prison  Discipline— Whipping 
the  Prisoners — The  Tories  Incarcerated — Troubles  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War— The  Committee  of  Safety— The  Reward  of  Loyalty- 
Opinions  of  a  Century  Ago 25 

THE    FIRST    KEEPER    OP  NEWGATE. 

Captain  John  Viets — His  Little  Bill  for  a  Year — Conspiracy  of  the 
Prisoners — Locking  in  the  Janitor — Flight  and  Pursuit — Strength- 
ening the  Jail 32 


CONTENTS. 


ANOTHER    ESCAPE. 


Burning  the  Block-house — Suffocated  in  Prison — Carelessness  of  the 

Officers 35 

A    SCENE    OP   CONFLICT   AND   BLOOD. 

The  Multitude  of  Guards  Appointed — The  Tories  become  Desperate — 
They  Conspire  to  Escape — They  overpower  the  Guard,  and  all 
Escape — Recapture  of  the  Fugitives — The  Gazetteer  of  1773— A 
Cotemporary  Story — The  Prison  buildings  Destroyed 30 

A    TORY   CLERGYMAN   IN   NEWGATE. 

He  Preaches  a  Fiery  Sermon — Addresses  Gen.  Washington — Denoun- 
ces the  Whigs — Suggests  the  Assassination  of  Washington  and 
the  M.  C'8 41 

THE    GOSPEL   FURNISHED   BY   THE    STATE. 

Primitive  Services — Nail-shop  Preaching — Brother  Jonathan  Appealed 
To — Gen.  Washington  sends  some  "Atrocious  Villains"  to  the 
Mines — Tory  Misdemeanors 52 

OLD    KEWGATE   PRISON. 

The  "Stone  Jug" — Buildings  Above-Ground  —  Appearance  of  the 
Caverns — Story  of  a  Visitor — Daily  Routine — More  Escapes  and 
Insurrections — Interesting  Anecdotes 58 

CONNECTICUT    STATE    PRISON. 

The  Building  at  Wethersfield — Management  and  Discipline — Condition 

of  the  Convicts — Notorious  Instances — Facts  and  Statistics 88 

HISTORICAL    SKETCHES    OF   EAST    GRANBY. 

Settlements  on  Farmington  River — Lands  purchased  from  the  Indians 
Trouble  experienced  by  the  Settlers — Captivity  of  Daniel  Hayes — 
His  Story — The  Red-Men — Revolutionary  Incidents — The  War  of 
1812— The  Way  to  reach  Copper  Hill 116 


JS^EWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 


-m:- 


THIS  is  the  name  by  which  the  prison  was  known  in  the 
time  of  the  American  Revolution,  and  it  was  so  called 
after  Newgate  prison  in  England.  It  is  well  known  that  our 
forefathers,  in  giving  names  to  their  towns  and  rivers,  and 
other  objects  of  nature  and  art,  by  which  they  were  surround- 
ed, drew  freely  upon  those  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed 
in  their  ancestral  homes ;  thus  they  endeavored  to  make  their 
adopted  country,  in  names  at  least,  assimilate  to  their  native 
land.  So,  in  denominating  this  receptacle  for  their  criminals 
after  the  world-renowned  prison  of  London,  they  intended 
to  endow  it  with  all  the  terror  which  attached  to  that  fearful 

13 


;|^4  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

abode  of  the  depraved.  The  mines  and  prison  buildings 
occupy  an  eminence  on  the  western  declivity  of  the  Talcott 
mountain,  which  rises  to  a  great  elevation,  and  is  here  sur- 
mounted by  lofty,  precipitous  and  craggy  rocks.  This  range 
of  mountains  extends  through  the  whole  length  of  the  State, 
and  terminates  at  the  East  Kock  near  New  Haven.  Towards 
the  west  and  south,  can  be  seen  in  the  distance,  bold  and 
irregular  outlines  of  mountains,  interspersed  with  extensive 
valleys,  forming  a  scene  of  impressive  grandeur  and  sub- 
limity, seldom  surpassed.     Says  a  writer : 

"The  appearance  of  this  place  forcibly  reminds  the  observer  of  the  walls, 
castles,  and  towers,  erected  for  the  security  of  some  haughty  lordling  of  the 
feudal  ages ;  while  the  gloomy  dungeons  within  its  walls,  call  to  remem- 
brance a  Bastile,  or  a  prison  of  the  Inquisition." 

**  A  hundred  legends  cling  about  its  walls, 

But  silence  reigns  beneath  its  crumbling  stone ; 

No  busy  hand  repairs  the  falling  walls, 

Deserted  now  it  wastes  away  alone ; 

The  summer  idler  often  passes  by, 

Yet  some  there  are  who  enter  at  the  gate, 

To  dream  awhile,  and,  leaving,  breathe  a  sigh. 

To  see  it  mouldering  in  such  fallen  state." 

The  mines  were  formerly  included  in  the  limits  of  the 
town  of  Simsbury,  and  so  remained  until  1786,  when  a  part 
of  the  town,  including  the  mines  and  prison,  was  set  off  and 
incorporated  under  the  name  of  Granhy;  hence  the  place 
was  at  that  time  known  by  the  name  of  Simsbury  Copper 
Mines,  on  Copper  HilL 

The  town  of  Granby  was  subdivided  in  1858,  and  the 
mines  are  at  present  included  in  the  town  of  East  Granby. 
If  the  State  of  Connecticut  continues  henceforth  to  increase 
her  legislative  ratio  of  representation  by  subdividing  her 
towns,  it  will  become  difficult  to  trace  the  topography  of 
some  places  within  her  borders,  nor  can  it  well  be  foreseen 
what  town  will  have  the  honor  of  containing  Simsbury  mines 
at  the  next  subdivision. 

The  period  at  which  copper  ore  was  first  discovered  at  this 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  15 

place  18  not  definitely  known ;  but  the  first  record  relating 
to  the  mines,  was  in  December  1705,  when  the  town  of  Sims- 
bury  appointed  a  committee  to  make  search,  upon  a  suggestion 
"  that  there  was  a  mine,  either  of  sil  ver  or  copper,  in  the  town." 
The  report  of  the  committee  is  not  recorded,  but  from  subse- 
quent results  it  was  doubtless  favorable.  The  first  company  for 
working  the  mines,  was  composed  of  land  proprietors  of  Sims- 
bury,  in  1707.  The  association  agreed  to  pay  the  town  Yen 
shillings  on  each  ton  of  copper  produced,  of  which  two-thirds 
was  appropriated  for  the  support  *'  of  an  able  schoolmaster 
in  Simsbury,"  and  the  other  third  to  the  "collegiate  school," 
[Yale  college] ;  the  residue  of  profits  was  to  be  divided  among 
the  partners  ^r^?  rata^  according  to  the  amount  of  their  respec- 
tive subscription  shares. 

All  the  land  on  Copper  Hill,  and  in  that  region,  was  cov- 
ered with  the  primeval  forest,  and  occupied  only  as  hunting 
ground  by  roving  bands  of  Indians;  and  as  the  land  was 
unsold,  and  under  the  control  of  the  original  proprietors  of 
the  town,  the  association  comprised  chiefly  all  the  inhabitants. 
The  company  concluded  only  to  dig  the  ore,  and  the  first 
year  they  made  a  contract  with  three  clergymen,  for  smelting 
the  same,  viz:  John  Woodbridge,  of  Springfield,  Dudley 
Woodbridge,  of  Simsbury,  and  Timothy  Woodbridge,  Jr., 
of  Hartford. 

Clergymen  at  that  early  period  were  regarded  as  the  prin- 
cipal embodiments  of  science  as  well  as  theology,  and  as 
many  of  them  received  their  education  in  England,  these 
contractors  were  supposed  to  possess  the  best  facilities  for 
obtaining  information  from  foreign  sources,  in  regard  to  the 
difl&cult  process  of  smelting  and  refining.  The  theologians, 
however,  did  not  understand  the  business,  or  at  least  failed 
to  prosecute  it  to  advantage ;  for  in  four  years  from  their 
commencement,  the  proprietors  appointed  a  committee  to 
call  them  to  account,  and,  if  necessary,  "  to  sue  them  for  the 
ore  that  had  been  brought  to  them  at  divers  times."  The 
mines  had  at  that  time  attained  a  good  degree  of  celebrity, 
as  appears  by  a  public  act  passed  by  the  colony : 


16  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

**Anno  Regni  Ann^  Reginae 
V.  Septimo  A.  D.  1709." 
An  Act  relating  to  the  Copper  Mines  at  Simsbury  : 

"  Whereas  there  hath  lately  been  discovered  a  Copper  mine  at  Symsbury, 
which  hath  been  so  improved  as  to  give  good  satisfaction  to  conclude  that  a 
public  benefit  might  arise  therefrom;  now  for  the  better  encouraging, 
directing,  and  enabling  the  proprietors  and  undertakers,  or  others  that  are  or 
may  be  concerned  therein,  their  heirs  and  assigns,  to  manage,  carry  on,  and 
improve  said  mines  to  the  best  advantage,"  etc. 

The  act  authorized  the  appointment  of  three  commissioners, 
"William  Pitkin,  John  Haynes,  and  John  Hooker,  who  were 
to  Bettle  all  controversies,  and  who  were  authorized  to  sum- 
mon a  jury  in  disputes  exceeding  forty  shillings  in  amount. 
The  sessions  of  this  court  were  held  generally  at  or  near  the 
mines,  and  great  numbers  of  business  and  litigated  cases, 
were  adjusted  in  a  summary  and  economical  way,  for  the 
space  of  more  than  sixty  years.  During  that  whole  period, 
the  company  of  proprietors  worked  the  mines,  either  them- 
selves, or  by  leasing  to  other  parties,  who  agreed  to  pay 
the  company  a  percentage  of  the  ore  or  metal  produced. 
In  their  leases  it  was  expressly  stipulated,  as  follows  : — 

"They  also  paying  thereof  to  his  Majesty,  his  heirs  and  successors,  the 
fifth  part  of  all  gold  and  silver  oar  and  precious  stones,  which  from  time  to 
time,  and  at  all  times  hereafter  shall  happen  to  be  found,  gotten,  had  and 
obtained  within  the  aforesaid  demised  premises,  or  in  any  part  or  parcel 
thereof." 

Thus  acknowledging  themselves  most  loyal  subjects  of 
taxation  and  revenue  to  the  crown  of  England. 

It  is  not  ascertained  what  per  cent,  of  profits  was  made  on 
the  investment  in  these  mines,  over  and  above  the  expenses 
of  working  them,  but  it  is  natural  to  suppose  that  if  they 
were  very  profitable  to  the  operators,  all  the  applause  usually 
attendant  upon  good  luck,  would  not  have  remained  forever 
hidden  in  oblivion  from  the  world.  Still  the  illusive  charms 
of  mining,  had  so  much  of  novelty  and  hope  for  adventurers  in 
the  New  World,  that  new  companies  were  formed  successively 
at  various  periods. 

Some  of  the  companies  were  composed  of  persons  of  great 
wealth  and  respectability.     One   company  was  formed   in 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  17 

London,  one  in  Holland,  others  in  Boston,  New  York,  and 
elsewhere.  In  1714,  the  records  show  that  the  use  of  the 
mines  was  purchased  by  Johnathan  Belcher  of  Boston, 
(afterwards  governor),  Timothy  Woodbrid<^e  Jr.,  and  William 
Partrige;  and  in  1721  they  had  miners  from  Germany 
employed,  and  were  expending  seventy  pounds  a  month  in 
the  work.  It  appears  that  this  Boston  company  operated 
the  mines  for  a  period  of  at  least  twenty-three  years,  and  in 
a  letter  from  Governor  Belcher,  dated  1736,  he  states  that 
he  had  disbursed  upwards  of  fifteen  thousand  pounds,  or 
about  seventy-five  thousand  dollars. 

In  1721  a  division  of  the  mining  lands  took  place  among 
the  lessees,  and  each  company  worked  at  separate  mines 
situated  upon,  and  less  than  one  mile  from  Copper  Hill.  At 
Higley's  mine,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  south,  are  now 
the  remains  of  old  workings  which  w^ere  operated  at  a  later 
period  than  the  others.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of 
the  Kevolution,  Edmund  Quincy  of  Boston  had  miners 
working  at  that  place,  but  the  works  were  soon  after 
abandoned.  After  1778  the  old  Copper  Hill  mines  were 
deserted  for  fifty-three  years,  until  a  new  company  began 
operations  in  1831. 

The  excitement  in  the  colonies  upon  the  business  of  mining, 
about  that  period,  was  very  great,  as  it  would  seem  from  the 
following  petition,  copied  from  the  records : 

**  To  the  Ilonnell,  the  GovW  Councill  and  Representatives  in  General  Court 
assembled  in  New  Haven,  Oct.  IGth  A.  D.  1733. 

"The  Prayer  oi  Joseph  Whiting,  of  New  Haven,  Humbly  Sheweth;  That 
your  Suppliant  has  expended  a  considerable  time  and  money  in  Searching 
after  Mines,  and  has  made  farther  Discoveries  perliaps  than  any  other  man  in 
this  Colony  has  before  done,  and  having  met  with  such  incourgement  as 
that  I  am  willing  to  be  at  farther  Expense  in  the  Same  Search— but  ready 
money  being  so  absolutely  necessary  therein ;  I  therefore  Humbly  pray  this 
assembly  will  be  pleased  to  lease  me  one  thousand  pounds  of  the  money 
Granted  last  may  to  be  struck,  and  now  to  be  disposed  of  by  this  assembly — 
upon  double  security  in  Lands  and  Bonds,  for  the  payment  of  the  interest 
every  year;  the  principall  to  be  Returned  at  the  Expiration  of  ten 
years,"  &c.  Joseph  Whiting." 


18  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

A  great  deal  of  time  and  money  without  doubt  was 
expended  as  the  aforesaid  petitioner  says  "  in  searching  after 
mines^''  for  the  evidence  may  be  seen  in  the  numerous  pits 
and  shafts  which  have  been  dug  along  the  whole  range  of 
this  mountain  to  New  Haven.  At  that  day,  as  in  all  previous 
time  since  the  world  began,  and  as  is  seen  especially  at  the 
present  day,  the  chief  aim  of  many  appeared  to  be  to  make 
fortunes  by  head-work — by  speculation,  and  choosing  rather 
to  spend  their  time  and  risk  their  money  in  mining,  and 
other  uncertain  projects — than  to  dig  upon  the  surface  of 
good  old  mother  earth,  for  a  sure  and  honest  living. 

Upon  the  summit  of  the  hill  where  the  greatest  excavations 
were  made,  and  the  largest  quantity  of  ore  taken,  two  per- 
pendicular shafts  were  dug  principally  through  solid  rock, 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  the  ore.  One  of  them  is  nearly 
eighty  feet  deep,  and  the  other  thirty-live.  At  the  bottom 
of  these  shafts  we  find  the  caverns^  so  termed,  extending  in 
various  directions,  several  hundred^feet.  By  estimating  the 
once  solid  contents  of  these  subterraneous  vaults,  an  idea  can 
be  formed  of  the  great  quantity  of  ore  which  has  been  taken 
out.  The  percolation  of  water  through  the  crevices  of  rock, 
made  it  necessary  to  dig  drains  or  levels  to  convey  it  off;  but 
these  either  became  obstructed,  or  the  mines  were  sunk  below 
them,  which  allowed  the  accumulation  of  water,  and  it  became 
necessary  to  discharge  it  by  working  the  pumps  day  and 
night.  This  was  done  by  employing  the  people  in  the  vicini- 
ty and  from  neighboring  towns,  and  from  the  amount  ex- 
pended for  this  service — three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per 
month — it  is  believed  that  from  twenty-five  to  tnirty  men 
were  kept  at  work. 

The  copper  ore  has  somewhat  the  appearance  of  yellowish 
grey  sandstone,  intermixed  with  nodules  of  bluish  sulphuret, 
and  yellow  pyrites,  and  is  very  hard  and  brittle. 

The  vein  is  considered  as  rich,  yielding  ten  to  fifteen  per 
cent,  of  pure  copper,  and  some  masses  have  been  obtained 
yielding  over  forty  per  cent.  The  ore  is  of  a  character 
termed  refractory^  and  the  metal  does  not  readily  separate 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  19 

from  tlie  stone  when  pulverised  and  washed,  in  consequence 
of  the  specific  gravity  of  the  stony  particles. 

-The  mines  would  doubtless  have  been  profitable  to  the 
operators  at  the  price  at  which  copper  metal  was  at  that  time 
valued,  had  not  the  enterprise  been  shackled  with  various 
incumbrances.  A  principal  one  was,  the  laws  of  the  mother 
country  prohibiting  the  smelting  of  it  here.  The  rigid  laws 
of  Britain  imposed  penalties  upon  any  who  should  attempt  to 
compete  with  her  furnaces  and  artisans  at  home,  consequently 
the  vast  expense  of  shipping  it  across  the  Atlantic,  crippled 
the  success  of  all  parties  engaged  in  the  business.  Notwith- 
standing the  enormous  expense,  several  cargoes  were  sent  to 
Europe.  A  large  quantity  was  deposited  about  one  mile  east 
of  the  mountain,  in  East  Gran  by,  upon  a  spot  now  marked  by 
an  entire  dearth  of  vegetation,  owing  to  the  poisonous  qual- 
ities extracted  from  the  ore.  From  there  it  was  carried 
fourteen  miles  to  Hartford,  where  it  was  shipped  to  New 
York,  and  thence  to  England.  The  owners  were  still  further 
disheartened  by  the  loss  of  two  vessels  with  their  cargoes  of 
ore.  One  was  seized  and  confiscated  as  a  prize  by  the  French 
who  were  then  at  war  with  England ;  the  other  was  sunk  in 
the  English  Channel  by  shipwreck. 

In  defiance  of  British  restrictions,  considerable  ore  was 
smelted  by  the  companies.  Buildings  and  furnaces  for 
pounding,  smelting,  and  refining,  were  erected  in  Simsbury 
upon  a  stream  of  water  called  Hop  Brook,  a  few  miles  dis- 
tant, but  safety  required  caution  and  secrecy  in  the  works, 
which  were  for  many  years  abandoned.  The  place  where  the 
smelting  was  carried  on,  was  named  by  the  German  workmen, 
"Hanover,"  from  their  native  place  in  Germany,  which 
name  it  still  retains.  The  mining-works  at  'Hanover'  were 
attached  in  1725,  and  1700  pounds  of  what  was  termed  "black 
copper"  (it  not  having  been  refined)  was  levied  upon. 

Granby  Coppers. 
Coin  was  made  from  this  ore  in  1737  and  1739,  by  a  Mr. 
Higley,  and  was  in  current  circulation  for  many  years.     In 


20  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

describing  these  coins,  a  writer  says:  They  were  Btamped 
upon  plancliets  of  the  purest  copper,  and,  in  consequence, 
were  in  demand  by  goldsmiths  for  alloy.  The  trade  of  a 
blacksmith,  ever  since  Yulcan  was  engaged  in  forging  thun- 
derbolts, has  given  to  the  world  some  very  remarkable  men, 
and  it  affords  us  great  pleasure  at  this  time  to  be  able  to 
contribute  to  the  fame  of  one  of  the  craft,  who  not  only 
devised,  but  manufactured  currency.  "We  have  seen  it 
stated  that  Mr.  Higley,  the  author  of  these  coppers,  was  an 
ingenious  blacksmith  who  resided  in  the  town  of  Gran  by ; 
hence  the  name  "  Granby  Coppers"  and  that  with  all  the 
notions  of  utility  w^hich  he  naturally  derived  from  the  anvil, 
he  was  ambitious  of  making  a  little  reputation  for  himself 
besides.  He  has  certainly  left  evidence  of  having  been  an 
artist  as  well  as  financier,  for  the  creations  of  his  genius  and 
skill  were,  for  the  times,  well  executed,  and  they  also  became 
a  currency.  Subsequently,  we  are  informed,  his  cupidity 
led  him  into  the  hazardous  experiment  of  illegally  imitating 
the  issues  of  other  coiners,  which,  being  discovered,  deprived 
him  of  a  portion  of  the  laurels  that  had  previously  encircled 
his  brow.*  These  coppers  bear  the  synfibols  of  their  origin, 
with  a  due  regard  to  royalty  on  some  of  them — the  sledge- 
hammers being  surmounted  by  crowns,  a  something  very 
apparent  to  the  minds  of  the  colonists,  but  which  did  not 
always  command  their  sincere  reverence.  These  coins  grace 
but  few  cabinets,  having  been  generally  so  impaired  by  wear, 
from  being  stamped  upon  unalloyed  copper,  as  to  be  rarely 
found  sufficiently  perfect.  We  were,  how^ever,  lately  grati- 
fied by  finding  in  Xew  York  city  an  electrotype  which  was 
perfect.  Single  specimens  of  this  coin  now  command  from 
fifteen  to  twenty-five  dollars  each.     There   appear  to  have 


♦  The  impression  that  Mr,  H.  was  a  counterfeiter  does  not  seem  to  be 
sustained  by  any  recorded  evidence.  It  is  more  probable,  that  owing,  to  the 
jealousy  of  England,  which  at  that  period  crippled  all  such  enterprises  here, 
notice  was  served  upon  him  that  his  embryo  mint  was  regarded  as  an  in- 
fringement upon  the  royal  prerogatives,  and  he  was  for  that  reason  obliged 
to  suspend  operations. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 


21 


been  five  different  issues  of  them,  of  several  devices;  upon 
one  is  the  figure  of  a  broad  axe,  with  the  motto  '■^  I  cut  my 
way  through^'' 

The  engraving  represents  both  sides  of  a  Granby  copper, 


now  in  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society,  at  Hartford,  from 
which  the  above  cuts  have  been  engraved  for  this  work. 

ISo  public  laws  had  been  made  by  the  colonists  to  authorize 
coinage  of  money,  or  to  specify  its  value.  Specie  was  very 
scarce  in  this  country,  and  the  coinage  at  this  embryo  mint, 
was  regarded  with  great  favor  by  the  residents  in  the  vicin- 
ity. The  foreign  trade  of  the  country,  which  was  chiefly 
confined  to  England,  was  principally  controlled  by  her;  the 
balance  of  trade  was  continually  against  us,  which  prevented 
the  importation  of  specie.  The  war  between  England  and 
France,  in  1745,  turned  the  tide  somewhat  in  our  favor,  and 
considerable  quantities  w^ere  circulated  in  the  colonies  by 
England  in  payment  of  war  expenses. 

Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  coin  the  colonists  resorted  to  the 
use  of  Colonial  Bills  of  Credit,  the  first  issue  of  which  was 
made  by  them  in  1709,  being  the  same  year  in  which  a  public 
act  was  passed  relating  to  the  Simsbury  mines.  Previous  to 
that  time  "Provision  Pay"  was  the  usual  medium  of  ex- 
change, consisting  of  the  common  eatables  and  other  products 
of  the  country.  The  appraised  value  of  such  commodities  at 
that  time,  may  be  shown  b}^  the  following  extract  from  the 
records  of  the  town  of  Simsbury,  stipulating  the  pay  of  their 
clergyman  in  1688.  They  agreed  to  pay  him  fifty  pounds 
per  annum  '^in  good  current  pay,  to  wit:  one  third  in  good 


22  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

merchantable  wheat  at  four  shillings  per  bushel,  one  third 
in  pease  or  rye,  at  three  shillings  per  bushel,  and  one  third 
in  Indian  corn  or  pork ;  the  corn  at  two  shillings  and  six 
pence  per  bushel,  and  the  pork  at  three  pounds  ten  shillings 
per  barrel,"  besides  other  items,  fuel,  &c.  At  an  ordina- 
tion nine  years  later,  among  the  articles  furnished  on  the 
occasion  were  the  following,  with  their  prices;  "Half  a  lamb 
of  mutton,  2s.  6d.  ;  butter  6d.  per  pound ;  four  pounds  of 
sugar,  2s.  6d. ;  half  a  bushel  Indian  meal,  Is.  3d. ;  two  fowls, 
8d. ;  eighty -four  pounds  of  beef,  15s. ;  thirty  pounds  venison, 
3s.  9d. ;  nineteen  pounds  of  pork,  4s.  9d. ;  nine  pounds  of 
mutton,  2s. ;  two  gills  of  rum,  9d."  Valued  by  our  currency 
at  this  day  the  price  of  beef  was  three  cents  per  pound ; 
mutton  three  and  a  half  cents,  and  vension  two  cents.  In 
some  instances  it  was  stipulated  that  those  who  paid  their 
rates  in  specie,  should  be  allowed  a  discount  of  one  third 
from  the  amount.  Contracts  between  individuals  unless 
specially  stipulated  to  be  paid  in  coin,  were  payable  in  the 
commodities  of  the  neighborhood,  and  at  prices  established 
by  the  General  Court.  Taxes  laid  for  military  defence  against 
the  roving  tribes  of  Indians,  for  building  churches,  and  for 
ordinary  public  expenses,  were'  also  payable  in  produce. 
During  a  period  of  one  hundred  and  forty  eight  years  from 
the  settlement  of  the  colony  to  the  peace  of  1783,  excepting 
the  period  of  the  French  wars,  the  traffic  among  the  people 
was  carried  on  in  part  by  barter  and  exchange.  In  1709  it 
was  enacted  by  the  colony,  that  in  order  to  assist  in  the  ex- 
pedition against  the  French  in  Canada,  "  there  be  forthwith 
imprinted  a  certain  number  of  bills  of  credit,  on  the  colony, 
in  suitable  sums  from  two  shillings  to  five  pounds,  which  in 
the  whole  shall  amount  to  8,000  pounds,  and  no  more." 

It  was  enacted  that  the  bills  should  be  received  for 
dues  and  taxes,  '^  at  one  shilling  on  the  pound  hett£r  than 
money."  Taxes  were  imposed  providing  for  the  redemption 
of  the  whole  amount  within  two  years.  The  promptness 
with  which  the  colony  met  their  own  bills,  is  noticeable 
when  contrasted  with  the  unavailing  efforts  of  the  Continental 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  23 

Congress,  to  sustain  tlie  value  of  their  paper  money,  which 
was  issued  in  the  Revolution.^' 

Recent  Mining. 

The  work  at  Sirasbury  mines  was  carried  on  at  various 
periods  until  1773,  more  than  seventy  years,  through  wars 
and  rumors  of  w^ars,  and  by  a  variety  of  forces  ;  by  free  labor, 
and  by  slave  labor ;  by  private  enterprise,  and  by  chartered 
companies ;  and,  subsequently,  by  prison  labor.  Yast  sums 
had  been  expended  in  the  business,  and  then  they  were 
abandoned  for  the  space  of  about  half  a  century,  for  prison 
occupation. 

In  1830,  to  the  surprise  of  all,  another  resurrection  of 
mineralogists  was  announced  at  the  old  prison  mines.  A 
company  of  gentlemen  from  New  York,  with  Richard  Bacon 
of  Simsbury,  formed  the  Pho&nix  Mining  Com/pany,  obtained 
a  charter,  and  purchased  of  the  State  the  whole  prison 
property,  including  the  mines,  and  about  five  acres  of  land, 
for  the  sum  of  one  thousand  two  hundred  dollars.  They 
expended  many  thousand  dollars  in  digging  extensive  levels, 
building  furnaces,  and  constructing  engines  and  machinery, 
to  facilitate  their  operations  in  raising,  pounding,  and  smelting 
the  ore.  They  carried  on  the  business  for  some  time,  but 
owing  to  a  reverse  in  the  financial  afi*airs  of  the  country  and 
other  causes,  the  mines  were  again  abandoned. 

The  old  mines  were  suffered  to  repose  again  in  quiet  for 
about  twenty  years,  when  the  note  of  preparation  for  working 
was  once  more  heard.  A  new  company  was  formed  in  1855, 
called  the  Connecticut  Copper  Company^  which  prosecuted 
the  business  for  about  tw^o  years.     They  found  the  average 


*  To  illustrate  the  ruinous  depreciation  of  continental  currency,  I  quote 
an  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  IlezeMah  Munsell  of  East  Windsor. 
He  says :  "  In  1781,  in  the  months  of  Feb'y  or  March,  I  drove  a  team  to 
Boston  with  a  load,  and  brought  one  back  for  a  merchant  in  Springfield, 
Mass.  I  had  a  five  cattle  team.  Returning  home  I  staid  in  Roxbury  one  night ; 
my  team  was  fed,  I  had  one  meal  and  lodging;  my  bill  in  the  moaning  was 
two  silver  dollars,  and  continental  money  had  so  depreciated  that  I  paid  it 
in  the  round  sum  of  $140  for  that  single  night's  entertainment." 


24  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

yield  of  metal  about  ten  per  cent.,  and  some  masses  of  ore 
were  taken  out  which  produced  over  forty  per  cent,  of 
copper.  The  deeper  the  descent,  the  richer  appeared  to  be 
the  quality  of  the  ore.  The  cliief  obstacle  to  success  appeared 
to  be,  not  the  lack  of  a  fair  percentage  of  metal,  but  in 
extracting  it  by  the  ordinary  process  of  separating  and  fluxing ; 
and  for  that  purpose  the  company  erected  ten  of  Bradford's 
separators,  at  a  great  expense,  and  also  two  steam-engines 
for  grinding,  and  for  working  the  separating  machines.  The 
business  has  been  suspended  for  about  twenty  years  ;  but  it 
is  believed  by  many  that  with  the  aids  of  science,  improved 
machinery,  and  sufficient  capital,  it  may  yet  result  profitably, 
and  that  Copper  Hill  may  at  no  distant  day,  share  some  of 
the  fame  of  the  mines  of  Lake  Superior. 

The  author  has  a  specimen  of  pure  copper  extracted  from 
the  ore  by  Prof.  Charles  T.  Jackson,  formerly  of  Boston ; 
also  his  process  of  analysis  made  in  1825,  and  sent  to  Hon. 
Samuel  Woodruff,  of  East  Granby,  at  his  request. 

"The  CoDper  ore  from  East  Granby,  is  composed  of  two  distinct  parts, 

the  ore  of  a  bright  green  color,  which  is  the  Carbonate  of  Copper;  the  other 

of  a  dark  steel  gray  which  is  Antimonial  Gray  Copper,     The  specific  gravity 

of  the  mass  is  3.08. 

Analysis. 

A.  Two  hundred  grains,  taken  in  equal  quantities  from  each  part  of  the 
specimen,  were  reduced  to  an  impalpable  powder  and  digested  in  a  matrass 
repeatedly  with  two  ounces  of  Nitro  Muriatic  Acid,  until  all  the  copper  was 
dissolved ;  the  silex  remaining,  after  being  well  washed  and  ignited  weighed 
163  grains. 

B.  A  pellicle  which  formed  on  the  surface  of  the  above  solution  proved  to 
be  sulphur,  and  weighed  4  grains. 

C.  The  solution  of  copper  etc.,  in  Nitro  Muriatic  Acid  was  then  evapora- 
ted to  dryness  and  the  dry  mass  again  dissolved  iu  concentrated  Sulphuric 
Acid,  the  solution  diluted  and  decanted,  a  white  precipitate  was  observed  at 
the  bottom  of  the  matrass  which,  when  collected  proved  to  be  Sulph. 
Antimony  which,  on  being  decomposed  gave  2  grains  of  Metallic  Antimony. 

D.  The  solution  of  copper  in  Sulphuric  Acid  was  then  poured  into  a  proper 
vessel,  and  a  polished  cylinder  of  iron  was  introduced.  In  twelve  hours  the 
copper  was  precipitated  in  a  metallic  state  around  the  cylinder.  Collected, 
washed,  and  dried,  the  copper  weighed  30  grains. 

The  enclosed  slip  of  copper  weighs  23  grains — 7  grains  having  been  lost 
in  fusing  it  into  a  button  and  drawing  it  into  this  form. 

Charles  T.  Jackson." 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  25 

From  the  preceding  analysis  it  appears  that  the  specimen 
yielded  fifteen  per  cent,  of  pure  copper. 

Professors  Sillima^n's  Survey  of  the  Mines. 

A  geological  examination  of  Newgate  Mines,  was  made  by 

Prof.  B.  Silliman,  four  years  ago,  with  a  view  to   future 

working,  and  a  report  made  to  the  Hon.  Ezra  Clark,  the 

proprietor,  from  which  the  following  extracts  are  made : — 

''The  vitreous  copper  is  almost  the  only  variety  of  ore  of  that  locality, 
and  is  the  only  one  of  any  economical  importance.  The  yellow  copper,  the 
common  Cornish  ore,  I  have  not  seen  here. 

The  composition  of  the  vitreous  ore  in  100  parts  is  in  round  numbers, 
Copper  80,  Sulphur  20.  The  variegated  ore  yields  69  parts  copper  in  100, 
and  the  yellow  copper  32  parts  in  100.  It  will  be  seen  therefore  that  the 
ore  of  your  mine  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  description.  The  extent  to 
which  openings  have  been  made  north  and  south  is  about  800  feet,  and 
from  east  to  west  from  250  to  300  feet.  There  are  three  parallel  galleries 
from  north  to  south,  with  numerous  cross-cuts  from  east  to  west.  These 
galleries  have  been  made  for  the  purpose  of  extracting  the  ore,  but  they 
embrace  unbroken  masses  of  the  deposit  which  are  now  ready  to  be  taken 
down  by  the  miners.  Of  the  extent  of  this  deposit  in  depth,  nothing  can  be 
known  beyond  the  250  to  300  feet  now  explored. 

Result  of  the  assay  of  three  samples  taken  from  the  mines. 
Best  ore  with  seams  of  vitreous  copper,         .         .         .        20.319  per  cent. 

Mottled  ore  in  rusty  sandstone, 14.370  "     *' 

Granular  rock  with  vitreous  copper,      ....  8.190  "     " 

Average  of  the  samples, 14.029  "     " 

The  average  of  the  Cornish  ores,  England,  is  7  to  8  per  cent." 


IMPRISONMENT  OF  THE  TORIES. 

Can  then  the  verdure  of  these  blissful  plains 
Conceal  the  Caves  where  penal  Rigor  reigns ! 
Where  the  starved  wretch,  by  suffering  folly  led 
To  snatch  the  feast  where  pampered  plenty  fed ; 
Shut  from  the  sunny  breeze  and  healthful  skies. 
On  the  cold,  dripping  stone,  low,  withering,  lies ; 
Torn  from  the  clime  that  gave  his  visions  birth, 
A  palsied  member  of  the  vital  earth ! 
If  the  sweet  Muse,  with  nature's  best  control, 
Can  melt  to  sympathy  the  reasoning  soul, 


26  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

She  bids  thee  rend  those  grating  bars  away, 
And  o'er  the  dungeons  break  the  beam  of  day : 
Give  the  frail  felon  with  laborious  toil, 
To  pay  the  penance  of  his  wasted  spoil. 
Hear  his  deep  groan,  heed  his  repentant  prayer, 
And  snatch  his  frenzied  spirit  from  despair ; 
Nor  let  those  fields,  arrayed  in  heavenly  bloom, 
Blush  o'er  the  horrors  of  a  living  tomb  .'* 

These  caverns  were  first  occupied  as  a  place  for  the  con- 
finement of  Tories  about  the  beginning  of  the  American 
Revohition.  Wliat  an  astonishing  train  of  events  followed, 
and  how  distant  from  the  thoughts  of  the  British  company 
of  miners,  the  idea  that  they  were  actually  hewing  out 
prison  cells,  for  the  lodgement  of  their  friends,  the  Tories  of 
America ! 

The  Colony  of  Connecticut  first  used  the  caverns  as  a 
permanent  prison  in  1773.  A  committee  had  been  appointed 
by  the  general  assembly  to  explore  the  place,  who  reported 
that  by  expending  about  thirty-seven  pounds,  the  caverns 
could  be  so  perfectly  secured,  that  "  it  would  be  next  to 
impossible  for  any  person  to  escape."  Whether  their  opinion 
was  well  founded,  the  reader  may  judge  by  the  subsequent 
escapes,  insurrections,  and  massacres  which  are  recounted  in 
the  following  pages.  The  total  expense  of  purchasing  the 
property,  with  the  remaining  lease  of  the  mines,  and  fortifying 
the  place,  amounted  to  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars. 

An  act  was  passed  prescribing  the  terms  of  imprisonment. 
Burglary,  robbery,  and  counterfeiting  were  punished  for  the 
first  offence  with  imprisonment  not  exceeding  ten  years ; 
second  offence  for  life.  The  keeper  of  the  prison  was 
authorized  to  punish  the  convicts  for  offences,  by  "  moderate 
whipping,  not  exceeding  ten  stripes,  and  by  putting  shackles 
and  fetters  upon  them  ; "  and  it  was  intended  to  employ 
them  at  labor  in  the  mines ;  which  they  did,  to  a  considerable 
extent. 


*  Extract  from  a  poem  written  by  a  lady  of  Boston,  in  1797,  after  visiting 
the  prison.  It  indicates  the  great  notoriety  and  formidable  character  which 
Newgate  had  obtained,  in  the  opinion  of  the  benevolent  and  gifted  poetess. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  27 

At  first  the  number  of  Tories  confined  in  the  caverns  did 
not  exceed  five  or  six,  and  these  were  guilty  of  various  crimes 
against  the  government.  But  as  time  developed  events,  the 
numbers  increased  to  between  thirty  and  forty. 

When  the  three  hundred  and  forty-two  chests  of  tea  were 
thrown  into  the  sea  at  Boston,  in  1773,  and  that  port  closed 
by  an  Act  of  Parliament,  so  great  was  the  excitement,  and  so 
indignant  were  the  people,  particularly  in  Massachusetts  and 
Connecticut,  on  account  of  British  oppression,  that  the  use 
of  tea  and  all  commodities  imported  in  British  vessels  and 
subject  to  duty,  was  prohibited.  The  duty  on  tea  was  so 
particularly  obnoxious,  that  it  was  considered  a  contraband 
article  of  household  comfort.  True,  the  contrast  in  the  times 
may  appear  rather  curious,  for  at  this  day,  a  housekeeper 
w^ould  be  judged  by  common  consent  deserving  incarceration 
in  the  mines,  or  some  other  place,  for  not  allowing  the 
article  to  be  used.  Our  ancestors  knew  no  half-way  policy, 
and  seldom  adopted  dilatory  measures  to  carry  their  points. 
Tea-vessels,  if  then  kept  at  all,  were  kept  out  of  sight ;  tea- 
pots were  run  into  musket-balls,  and  they  were  the  kind  of 
currency  with  which  the  people  dealt  with  old  England. 

The  following  incident  from  Dr.  Stiles's  History  of  Ancient 
Windsor,  shows  the  marked  spirit  of  the  times : 

'*  At  an  early  period  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  and  before  the  war 
had  fairly  commenced,  some  of  the  Tories  (of  whom  there  were  a  few  in 
Windsor)  happened  one  day  to  come  across  Elihu  Drake,  then  a  lad  about 
eight  years  old,  and  partly  in  earnest,  and  partly  in  a  joke,  endeavored  to 
compel  him  to  say,  God  save  the  King,  Failing  of  success,  they  tried  to 
intimidate  him  by  threatening  him  with  a  ducking  in  the  river.  But  the 
boy  still  stoutly  refused.  Becoming  somewhat  enraged  at  the  young  rebel, 
they  carried  their  threat  into  execution,  and  thrust  him  under  water,  but 
as  they  pulled  him  out  spluttering  and  choking,  the  only  exclamation  which 
he  uttered  was  a  fervent  God  d—n  the  King.  Again,  and  again  was  the 
little  martyr  thrust  under,  but  each  time  the  same  reply  was  all  they  could 
extort  from  him.  and  they  were  obliged  to  release  him  with  many  hearty 
curses  for  his  stubbornness.  At  the  age  of  twelve,  this  young  hero 
accompanied  his  father  into  the  war,  in  the  capacity  of  waiter." 

The  following  from  the  Connecticut  Journal,  in  1775,  fur- 
ther illustrates  the  spirit  of  animosity  against  the  Tories ; 


28  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTIUT. 

"  The  Riflemen  on  their  way  from  the  Southern  colonies  through  the  coun- 
try, administer  the  new-fashioned  discipline  of  tar  and  feathers  to  the 
obstinate  and  refractory  Tories  that  they  meet  on  their  road,  which  has  had 
a  very  good  effect  here  [in  New  Milford].  Those  whose  crimes  are  of  a 
more  atrocious  nature,  they  punish  by  sending  them  to  Gen.  Gage.     They 

took  a  man  in  this  town,  a  most  incorrigible  Tory,  who  called  them  d d 

rebels,  &c.,  and  made  him  walk  before  them  to  Litchfield,  which  is  20  miles, 
and  carry  one  of  his  own  geese  all  the  way  in  his  hand ;  when  they  arrived 
there,  they  tarred  him,  and  made  him  pluck  his  goose,  and  then  bestowed  the 
feathers  on  him,  drummed  him  out  of  the  company,  and  obliged  him  to 
kneel  down  and  thank  them  for  their  lenity." 

Public  opinion  in  some  of  tlie  colonies  against  those  who 
fovored  the  mother  country  was  very  rigid,  authorizing  any 
person  even  to  shoot  them  if  they  were  found  beyond  the  limits 
of  their  own  premises,  and  one  was  shot  in  the  town  of  Sims- 
bury,  another  was  hung  publicly  in  Hartford  and  the  gallows 
was  left  standing  for  some  time  to  intimidate  other  Tories. 
Those  who  possessed  not  the  hardihood  thus  summarily  to 
dispatch  a  neighbor  when  he  declined  to  fight  for  the  coun- 
try, or  for  purchasing  foreign  goods,  adopted  the  more 
humane  expedient  of  applying  to  the  Committee  of  Safety* 
in  the  town,  who  penned  them  up  in  the  caverns  where  they 
could  at  least  leisurely  examine  the  evidence  of  British  labor, 
though  not  allowed  the  blessed  boon  of  being  governed  by 
British  laws.  The  following  extract  is  from  the  biography 
of  the  celebrated  Bishop  Griswold  : — 

"  As  an  instance  of  the  manner  in  which  not  only  the  clergy  but  others  of 
the  church  were  watched,  I  will  here  insert  the  account  given  me  on  my 
visit  to  Simsbury,  of  the  proceedings  against  Bishop  Griswold's  father. 
For  a  time  this  worthy  man  was  arraigned  almost  daily  before  the  Commit- 
tee of  Vigilance,  and  straightly  questioned  as  to  the  most  common  actions 
of  his  life ;  but  as  nothing  was  actually  found  against  liim,  the  committee 
contented  themselves  with  forbidding  him  to  go  beyond  the  limits  of  his  own 
farm.  This,  however,  as  his  farm  was  something  of  a  little  terrritory,  gave 
him  space  for  exercise,  particularly  as  he  was  a  home-keeping  man,  and  sel- 
dom left  his  farm  save  of  a  Sunday  for  church. 


*In  some  towns  they  were  termed  Committee  of  Inspection.  They 
constituted  what  we  should  call  a  Committee  of  Vigilance,  and  their  duties 
were  of  a  very  peculiar  and  delicate  nature — "a  patriotic  and  searching 
espionage  into  the  principles,  actions,  and  private  affairs  of  every  member  of 
the  community,  without  regard  to  station,  profession,  or  character.     It  was 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  29 

His  uncle  (Rev.  Roger  Viets),  however,  being  a  public  man  and  more 
closely  associated  in  public  opinion  with  the  interests  of  the  royal  cause, 
was  not  only  more  closely  watched,  but  also  more  rigorously  treated.  lie 
was  naturally  of  a  very  kind  and  charitable  disposition,  and  to  the  suflering 
was  ever  ready  to  extend  relief.  It  happened  that,  at  midnight  one  time, 
some  men  who  it  afterwards  appeared  were  endeavoring  to  elude  pursuit, 
called  at  his  house  and  asked  for  charitable  aid.  Lodging  he  dared  not  give 
them.  Food  he  could  not  refuse.  Of  this  charitable  deed  some  circum- 
stances led  the  authorities  into  a  suspicion,  and  being  accused  of  it  he  would 
not  deny  what  he  had  done;  and  for  that  act  of  benevolence,  which,  as  he 
believed,  the  law  of  God  required,  he  was  condemned  to  be  imprisoned, 
and  was  many  months  confined  in  jail  at  Hartford." 

We  cannot  for  a  moment  doubt  the  noble  intentions  of 
the  American  patriots  in  the  severity  of  tliose  measures,  for 
the  results  are  now  universally  acknowledged,  and  generally 
appreciated.  If  at  the  commencement  of  their  struggles  for 
liberty,  they  had  permitted  those  emmissaries  to  raise  a  ques- 
tion as  to  the  right  of  independent  government,  and  had 
suffered  them  to  prowl  about  unmolested,  spreading  the  fuel 
of  disaffection,  a  civile  instead  of  a  national  war  must  have 
followed.  The  proud  eagle  of  Liberty  would  not  so  soon 
have  risen  over  this  land  of  plenty,  and  the  reveille  of  Brit- 
ish soldiery  would  have  told  misfortune's  tale, — a  government 
of  force.  Well  would  it  be  for  us  their  descendants  if  like 
them  we  could  appreciate  the  blessings  of  liberty,  of  our 
happy  form  of  government,  and  the  value  of  mutual  peace 
and  union  of  this  great  confederacy  of  States! 


necessary  to  know  how  each  man  stood  affected  towards  the  war — whether 
his  feelings  were  enlisted  in  his  country's  behalf,  or  whether  secretly  or  pub- 
licly he  was  aiding  the  enemy."  If  any  individual  fell  under  suspicion  of  the 
people,  the  committee  were  immediately  notified,  and  they  forthwith  repair- 
ed to  the  person  and  demanded  an  avowal  of  his  sentiments.  If  found  to  be 
lukewarm  or  indifferent  to  the  liberal  cause,  he  was  closely  watched.  If  a 
Tory  in  sentiment,  he  was  remanded  to  Newgate.  The  dividing  line  of 
principle  was  positive  and  distinct.  On  the  royal  side,  the  British  officials 
proclaimed  those  to  be  outlaws  who  favored  the  cause  of  the  rebels,  and 
pronounced  free  pardon  to  such  as  ceased  their  resistance,  or  espoused  the 
cause  of  Royalty.  Besides  this  it  is  said  they  gave  secret  protection-papers 
to  those  applying  for  them  on  the  score  of  friendship.  These  acts  of  the 
British  impelled  the  colonist  to  take  the  most  rigorous  measures  in  self- 
defense. 


30  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.. 

At  this  day,  it  seems  to  us  hardly  possible  that  any  con- 
siderable number  could  have  been  found  so  indifferent  to 
the  possession  of  liberty  as  to  oppose  their  countrymen  in 
arms,  struggling  for  freedom,  and  the  inalienable  rights  of 
man.  We  are  prone  to  regard  them  as  inhuman,  deluded 
beings,  unworthy  to  live.  But  let  us  pause  a  moment,  yield 
a  little  to  our  charity,  and  consider  the  state  of  the  country 
at  that  time,  and  some  of  the  influences  by  which  they  were 
surrounded.  The  Tories  were  aware  that  in  the  history  of 
the  world,  every  people  who  had  attempted  the  experiment 
of  a  free  representative  form  of  government,  although  in 
some  cases  for  a  while  successful,  yet  in  the  end  had  most 
positively  failed  in  their  hopes  and  plans  ;  their  struggles  had 
only  ended  in  loss  of  power  by  the  many,  and  usurpation  of 
it  by  the  few.  From  the  history  of  the  Eepublics  of  Greece 
in  early  Europe,  through  the  long  vista  of  twenty-four  cen- 
turies, the  plebeian  people  had  striven  through  toil  and  blood, 
only  to  bend  their  necks  at  last  to  the  yoke  of  some  powerful 
chieftain  in  war.  The  colonists  and  their  ancestors  had 
suffered  and  bled  in  the  Indian  wars,  afterwards  in  wars  with 
the  French,  and  with  French  and  Indians  combined;  and 
their  mother  England  had  been  an  ally  who  had  assisted  them 
in  their  defence,  and  to  whom  they  still  looked  for  aid  in 
emergency.  Many  also,  were  bound  by  the  ties  of  near  kin- 
dred to  friends  across  the  ocean.  Those  in  civil  power 
received  their  authority  direct  from  England,  and  many  of  the 
clergy  were  commissioned  by  the  Church  of  England,  from 
which  also  they  received  their  chief  support,  All  of  them, 
doubtless,  were  inclined  by  early  education  and  prejudice,  to 
prefer  a  kingly  to  a  republican  government,  and  they  dreaded 
the  troublesome  responsibility  of  beginning  the  contest  for  a 
change,  well  knowing  that  an  ignominious  death  awaited 
them  in  case  their  experiment  failed.  In  the  words  of  our 
Declaration  of  Independence,  "  all  experience  hath  shown 
that  mankind  are  more  disposed  to  suffer,  while  evils  are 
sufferable,  than  to  right  themselves  by  abolishing  the  forms 
to  which  they  are  accustomed." 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  31 

On  the  other  hand,  they  are  censurable  for  opposing  in- 
dependence, because  the  oppression  of  British  tyranny  had 
planted  them  or  their  fathers  upon  the  inhospitable  shores 
of  a  new  world.  They  had  generously  expended  their 
blood  and  treasure  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Crown,  and 
had  obeyed  its  mandates  by  assisting  in  the  war  against 
France,  which  resulted  in  the  acquisition  of  a  vast  territory 
to  the  English  nation.  Their  trade  had  been  monopolized 
by  her ;  then,  when  prudence  would  have  dictated  a  relax- 
ation of  authority,  the  mother  country  rose  in  her  demands, 
and  imposed  heavy  taxes  to  pay  off  a  national  debt  of  more 
than  $700,000,000.  The  idea  should  have  been  discarded, 
that  a  small  island,  more  than  two  thousand  miles  distant, 
should  hold  in  bondage,  without  representation,  a  territory 
on  this  continent,  large  as  the  whole  of  Europe,  and 
destined  to  equal  it  in  population.  They  should  have 
remembered  too,  that  citizens  of  the  early  Republics,  pos- 
sessed not  our  advantage  of  historical  experience  of  other 
Republics,  to  point  out  the  faults  of  free  government  by 
which  they  could  avoid  their  errors,  and  adopt  their 
benefits ;  and  no  well-defined  system  of  confederated  states, 
with  a  constitution  limiting  the  just  powers  of  government, 
had  ever  been  devised.  The  masses  in  early  ages  were 
ignorant,  superstitious,  and  heathenish  ;  they  were  crammed 
into  dense  cities  and  villages,  which  are  the  hot-beds  of  vice 
and  corruption ;  while  on  the  contrary,  the  inhabitants  of 
America  could  glean  wisdom  from  the  history  of  past  ages, 
and  commune  with  the  great  and  mighty  dead.  They 
possessed  abundance  of  territory  for  all;  plenty  of  room 
in  which  to  develop  their  free  energies,  and  afford  to  all 
uneasy  spirits  a  medium  in  which  to  expend  their  surplus  gas, 
in  the  moral  atmosphere  of  a  continent.  They  could  realize 
the  sentiment : 

"  No  pent  up  Utica  contracts  our  powers, 
For  the  whole  boundless  Continent  is  ours." 

A  writer  says  : — 

•'Of  the   Tories   who   engaged   actively   in  the   war  against  American 


52  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

independence,  their  subsequent  history  vras  for  the  most  part  a  melan- 
choly one.  Probably  not  more  than  half  of  those  who  fled  the  coun- 
try ever  returned,  and  those  who  did  were  mostly  broken-down  men 
reduced  to  poverty,  laden  with  the  odium  of  having  made  war  upon  their 
country,  and  in  many  cases  stained  with  vice  and  adicted  to  habits  which  sent 
them  to  an  early  grave.  It  was  one  of  the  questions  which  most  impeded 
the  negotiations  for  peace  between  the  States  and  Great  Britain  in  1783, — 
What  should  be  done  with  these  Tories.  Several  thousand  had  removed  to 
Canada,  New  Brunswick,  and  Nova  Scotia,  and  most  of  whom  were  in  circum- 
stances of  extreme  destitution.  It  was,  at  first  insisted  by  the  British 
negotiators,  that  Congress  should  grant  pardon  to  all  political  offenders  of 
this  sort,  restore  their  confiscated  estates,  and  remunerate  them  for  the 
losses  they  had  suffered.  This  was  refused,  on  the  ground:  First;  that 
Congress  only  had  authority  under  the  articles  of  Confederation  to  recommend 
measures  to  the  several  States.  Secondly ;  that  these  men  had  encouraged 
the  British  to  prosecute  the  war,  and  many  of  them  had  personally  engaged 
in  plundering  and  ravaging  the  country,  and  ought  rather  to  be  made  to 
render  compensation,  than  to  receive  it.  Thirdly ;  that  the  the  confiscated 
estates  of  the  Tories  had  been  sold  and  re-sold,  often  divided  and  could  not 
now  be  restored  without  endless  litigation.  And  finally,  that  in  the  impover- 
ished condition  of  the  country,  it  was  impossible  to  pay  its  own  meritorious 
soldiers.  The  matter  was  finally  compromised  by  inserting  three  articles 
into"  the  treaty,  to  the  effect  that  the  loyalists  (or  Tories)  should  not  be 
debarred  from  collecting  debts  due  them  before  tlie  war;  that  Congress 
would  recommend  to  the  States  to  restore  confiscated  property  as /ar  05 
possible^  and  that  no  future  confiscations  should  be  made  or  prosecutions 
begun.     These  terms  were  at  length  reluctantly  agreed  to  by  Great  Britain, 

The  recommendations  of  Congress  to  the  States  were,  however,  ineffectual, 
as  it  was  probably  expected  they  would  be. 

Connecticut  would  not  consent  to  restore  the  property  of  such  as  has  been 
engaged  in  burning  Danbury,  Fairfield,  and  other  sea-coast  towns.  The 
same  was  true  in  other  states,  Let  England,  they  said,  pay  us  for  the 
wanton  injuries  she  has  inflicted,  before  she  asks  compensation,  for  the 
traitors  by  whom  it  was  done.  Failing  thus  in  securing  relief  from  the 
States  for  her  refugees,  Parliament  undertook  the  duty  for  themselves. 
A  commissioner  was  appointed  by  England  to  ascertain  the  losses  incurred 
by  their  friends,  and  about  fifteen  and  a  half  million  dollars  was  appropriated 
for  their  compensation." 

Besides  this,  many  of  the  loyalists  of  America  received 
subsidies  and  pensions  from  the  British  government  during 
their  lives,  some  received  large  grants  of  lands,  and  some 
half-pay  as  military  officers. 

The  First  Keeper  of  Newgate 
was  Capt.  John  Yiets,  who  resided  near  by,  and  who  supplied 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  33 

them  daily  with  such  food  and  necessaries  as  were  required. 

His  bill,  as  recorded  for  one  year,  in  1T74,  is  as  follows: 

*'  Captain  John  Vieis,  Master,  as  per  his  bill  for  services,  boarding 
workmen  and  providing  for  prisoners,  &c.,  29Z.  bs.  10<i." 

At  that  time  no  guard  was  kept  through  the  day,  but  two 
or  three  sentinels  kept  watch  during  the  night.  There  was 
an  anteroom  or  passage,  through  which  to  pass  before  reach- 
ing their  cell,  and  the  usual  practice  of  Capt.  Viets,  when  he 
carried  their  food,  was,  to  look  through  the  gates  into  this 
passage,  to  observe  whether  they  were  near  the  door,  and  if 
not,  to  enter,  lock  the  door  after  him,  and  pass  on  to  the 
next.  The  inmates  soon  learned  his  custom,  and  accordingly 
prepared  themselves  for  an  escape.  When  the  captain  came 
next  time,  some  of  them  had  contrived  to  unbar  their  cell 
door,  and  huddled  themselves  in  a  corner  behind  the  door  in 
the  passage,  w^here  they  could  not  easily  be  seen,  and  upon 
his  opening  it,  they  sprang  upon  him,  knocked  him  down, 
pulled  him  in,  and  taking  the  key  from  his  possession,  they 
locked  him  up  and  made  good  their  escape.  What  were  the 
captain's  reflections  on  his  sudden  transition  from  keeper  to 
that  of  prisoner  is  not  stated,  but  he  probably  thought,  with 
FalstaiF,  "  discretion  is  the  better  part  of  valor,"  and  that  he 
must  adopt,  in  future,  more  prudent  measures.  His  absence 
was  soon  perceived  by  his  famil}^,  who  came  to  his  relief. 
The  inhabitants  around  rallied  immediately,  and  gave  chase 
to  the  absconding  heroes,  and  finally  succeeded  in  capturing 
nearly  the  whole  of  them.  Several  were  taken  in  attempting 
to  cross  the  Tunxis  or  Farmington  River,  at  Scotland  Bridge, 
a  few  miles  south ;  sentinels  having  been  stationed  at  that 
place  to  intercept  them.  Some — Santa  Anna  like — took  refuge 
upon  trees,  and  there  met  with  certain  capture.  An  aged 
and  respected  matron,  then  a  child  and  residing  but  a  few 
rods  from  the  prison  said  to  the  author  that,  "  the  news  of 
their  escape  and  capture  spread  as  much  terror  amonsr  the 
children  in  the  neighborhood  as  if  they  had  been  a  band  of 
midnight  assassins." 

Although  the  prison  was  considered  impregnable,  the  first 


34  NBWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

convict  which  had  been  put  there,  John  Hinson,  had  escaped. 
He  was  committed,  Dec.  2d,  1773,  and  escaped  after  a  confine- 
ment of  eighteen  days,  by  being  drawn  up  through  the 
mining  shaft,  assisted,  it  is  said,  by  a  woman  to  whom  he 
was  paying  his  addresses.  On  the  26th  of  Feb.  1774, 
three  prisoners  were  received ;  one  of  them  escaped  on  the 
9th  of  April  following,  and  the  two  others  on  the  23d.  One 
committed  on  the  5th  of  April  took  sudden  leave  on  the  9th, 
having  been  confined  j^stfour  days/ 

After  the  general  escape  and  recapture,  the  following 
report  was  made  by  the  overseers : 

To  the  Honorable  General  Assembly  now  sitting  at  Hartford : 

"We,  the  subscribers,  overseers  of  Newgate  Prison,  would  inform  your 
Honors,  that  Newgate  Prison  is  so  strong  and  secure  that  we  believe  it  is 
not  possible  for  any  person  put  there  to  escape,  unless  by  assistance  from 
abroad ;  yet  it  so  happens  that  one  John  Hinson,  lately  sent  there  by  order 
of  the  Honorable  the  Superior  Court,  has  escaped  by  the  help  of  some  evil 
minded  person  at  present  unknown,  who,  in  the  night  season  next  after  the 
9th  inst.,  drew  the  prisoner  out  of  the  shaft;  and  we  believe  no  place  ever 
was  or  can  be  made  so  secure,  but  that  if  persons  abroad  can  have  free 
access  to  such  prison,  standing  at  a  distance  from  any  dwelling  house,  the 
prisoners  will  escape ;  we  therefore  recommend  it  to  your  Honors,  that  some 
further  security  be  added  to  that  prison  in  order  to  secure  the  prisoners  : 
what  that  security  shall  be,  will  be  left  to  your  Honors ;  yet  we  would 
observe  to  your  Honors  that  the  east  shaft  where  the  prisoner  escaped,  is 
about  70  feet  to  the  bottom  of  the  prison,  the  whole  of  which  is 
through  a  firm  rock  except  10  feet  at  top,  which  is  stoned  up  like  a  well ; 
we  therefore  propose  that  the  upper  part  down  to  the  rock  be  lock'd  up, 
and  stones  about  15  or  18  inches  square  and  of  suitable  length,  be  laid 
across  said  shaft  about  eight  inches  asunder  &c.  And  as  to  the  west  shaft, 
which  is  about  25  feet  deep,  secured  with  a  strong  iron  gate,  about  six  feet 
below  the  surface,  we  propose  that  a  strong  log  house  be  built  of  two  or 
three  rooms,  one  of  which,  to  stand  over  this  shaft  to  secure  it  from  persons 
abroad,  and  the  other  rooms  to  be  for  the  miners,  &c.  All  which  is  submitted 
by  your  Honor's  most  obedient  Humble  Servants." 

Erastus  Wolcott, 
Josiah  Bissell, 
Hartford  Jan'y  17th  1774.  Joh'n  Humphrey. 

Connecticut  at  that  period  held  each  year  two  sessions  of 
her  Assembly,  and  at  the  next  session,  four  months  after,  the 
following  report  was  presented  by  the  overseers  : 


NEWGATE  OP  CONNECTICUT.  35 

To  the  Hon,  ihe  GerCl  Assembly  now  sitting  at  ITartford : 

'*  We  the  subscribers  hereto,  overseers  of  Newgate  Prison,  beg  leave  to 
represent  to  jour  honors,  That  soon  after  the  rising  of  the  assemblj  in 
Jan'y  last,  three  delinquents  were  committed  from  Windham,  and  two 
others  from  New  London  county,  whereupon,  notwithstanding  the  severity 
of  the  season,  we  immediately  set  about  making  tliose  further  securities 
that  your  Honours  directed,  and  have  built  a  strong  log  house  36  feet  in 
length  and  20  feet  in  width,  with  timbers  10  inches  square,  divided  into  two 
rooms,  one  of  which  includes  the  west  shaft,  and  in  the  other,  which  is  designed 
for  the  miners  to  lodge  in,  &c.,  we  have  built  a  chimney,  and  compleated  the 
whole  except  the  under  floor,  the  planks  for  which  are  not  yet  suflSciently 
dryed  and  fit  to  lay,  and  some  ceiling  to  secure  the  miners  from  the  cold 
winds,  which  otherwise  will  pass  betwixt  the  timbers.  We  have  also  secured 
the  east  shaft  where  the  first  prisoner  escaped,  with  iron  and  stone,  and 
every  other  place  where  we  thought  it  possible  for  any  to  escape;  and 
we  apprehend  that  said  prison  is  now  well  secured  and  fitted  to  receive  and 
employ  those  ofienders  that  may  be  sent  there.  An  account  of  our  disburse- 
ments, &c.,  we  have  ready  to  lay  before  your  Honours  or  Auditors,  to  be  ap- 
pointed as  your  Honours  shall  direct.  Your  Honours  must  have  heard  that 
the  prisoners  have  all  escaped  that  prison ;  it  would  be  long,  and  perhaps 
diflicult,  in  writing,  to  give  a  particular  and  distinct  account  how  this  was 
done  ;  your  Honours  will  excuse  us  if  we  only  say  that  they  effected  their 
escape  by  the  help  of  evil  minded  persons  abroad,  before  the  necessary  and 
proposed  securityes  could  be  compleated.  We  would  further  inform  your 
Honours,  that  we  had  engaged  two  miners  to  assist  the  prisoners  at  work, 
who  were  to  have  been  there  about  the  time  the  prisoners  escaped,  and 
one  of  them  actually  left  his  business  and  came  there  a  few  days  after 
the  escape ;  him  we  have  retained,  and  to  this  time  principally  employed  in 
compleating  the  securities  to  the  prison;  the  other  we  gave  intelligence 
of  the  escape  before  he  left  his  business,  and  prevented  his  coming;  but 
have  engaged  him  to  attend  when  wanted.  All  which  is  submitted  to  your 
Honours,  by  your  Honours'  most  obedient  and  humble  servants." 
Hartford,  May  14th,  1774. 

Another  Escape 
was  attempted  by  the  prisoDers,  in  1776,  by  burning  the 
block-house  over  the  shaft.  A  level  had  been  opened  from 
the  bottom  of  the  mines  through  the  hill  westward,  for  the 
purpose  of  draining  off  the  water,  and  the  mouth  of  this 
level  was  closed  by  a  heavy  wooden  door  firmly  fastened. 
They  had  by  degrees  collected  sufficient  combustibles,  and 
with  a  piece  of  stone  and  steel  they  kindled  a  fire  against  the 
door,  which  burned  as  well  as  damp  fuel  in  a  damp  dungeon 
naturally  would ;  but  instead  of  making  their  escape  from 


36  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

the  prison,  thej  all  nearly  made  their  final  escape  from  the 
world;  for  the  dense  smoke  and  blue  fiame  soon  filled  the 
apartment  and  almost  sufibcated  all  of  them.  Search  being 
made,  one  of  them  was  found  dead,  and  five  others  were 
brought  forth  senseless,  but  finally  recovered. 

They  were  afterwards  placed  in  a  strong  wooden  building, 
erected  for  the  purpose  above  ground,  in  1777.  They  set 
this  building  on  fire  the  next  year,  and  burned  it  to  the 
ground.  Nearly  all  escaped,  but  several  of  them  were  after- 
wards retaken. 

In  1780,  the  block -house,  so  called,  was  rebuilt;  but 
prudence  by  the  officers  in  the  management  was  disregarded. 
Had  they  been  more  careful  in  adopting  safeguards  for 
themselves  and  the  prisoners,  they  might  have  avoided  the 
dreadful  scene  which  was  soon  to  follow — 

A  Scene  of  Conflict  and  Blood  ! 

It  appears  that  the  overseers  relied  for  security  upon  the 
number  of  guards  rather  than  upon  their  proper  discipline, 
as  they  appointed  a  lieutenant,  one  sergeant,  one  corporal 
and  twenty-four  privates,  while  the  number  of  prisoners  was 
only  thirty — thus  providing  the  very  liberal  complement  of 
about  one  soldier  to  each  prisoner.  The  guards  were  armed 
with  loaded  muskets  and  fixed  bayonets,  and  the  officers  with 
cutlasses  and  pistols. 

As  the  war  with  England  now  raged  with  fury,  the  animos- 
ity between  the  Whigs  and  Tories  had  grown  in  proportion, 
and  the  seal  of  distinct  party  was  in  many  places  stamped 
with  vivid  impression,  so  that  at  this  period  the  number 
doomed  to  the  prison  had  amounted  to  thirty,  and  many  of 
them  were  Tories.  They  were  a  desperate  set  of  men  and 
scrupled  at  no  means  of  escape.  On  the  night  of  the  18th 
of  May,  1781,  the  dreadful  tragedy  occurred  which  resulted 
in  the  escape  of  all  the  prisoners.  A  prisoner  was  confined, 
by  the  name  of  Young,  and  his  wife  wishing  to  be  admitted 
into  the  cavern  with  him,  she  was  searched,  and  while  two 
officers  were  in  the  act  of  raising  the  hatch  to  let  her  down, 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  37 

the  prisoners  rushed  out,  knocked  down  the  two  oificers,  and 
seizing  the  muskets  of  nearly  all  the  rest  who  were  asleep, 
immediately  took  possession  of  the  works,  and  thrust  most 
of  the  guards  into  the  dungeon,  after  a  violent  contest.  One 
of  them,  Mr.  Gad  Sheldon,  was  mortally  wounded,  fighting 
at  his  post,  and  six  more  wounded  severely.  Said  a  venerable 
old  lady  now  deceased :  "  It  was  a  dreadful  sight  to  see  the 
wounded  guards,  as  they  were  brought  into  our  house  one 
after  another,  and  laid  upon  the  floor,  weltering  in  their 
blood  I  When  I  came  into  the  room,  the  faithful  Sheldon 
sat  on  a  bench,  his  body  bent  forward,  and  a  bayonet  dripping 
with  blood  lying  before  him,  which  he  had  just  drawn  out 
of  his  breast — it  was  a  deadly  stab !  "  Many  of  the  prisoners 
were  wounded ;  some  of  them  were  assailed  and  gashed  by 
their  comrades  through  mistake,  while  flghting  in  the  dark- 
ness of  the  conflict.  Nearly  all  made  their  escape ;  some 
from  their  wounds  were  unable  to  flee.  One  was  taken  on  a 
tree  in  Turkey  Hills,  east  of  the  mountain ;  and  a  few  others 
were  found  in  swamps  and  barns  in  the  neighboring  towns. 

The  foregoing  is  corroborated  by  a  paper  just  received,  as 
this  work  was  going  to  press.  It  is  copied  from  Riving- 
ton's  ^'' Gazetteer ^^  a  Tory  weekly  paper  printed  in  New  York, 
in  1773.  In  Nov.  1775,  the  paper  was  mobbed  by  a  party 
of  Connecticut  men,  but  when  the  British  gained  possession 
of  that  city,  in  1777,  the  paper  was  revived.  Kivington 
styled  himself  "Printer  to  the  King." 

It  appears  by  the  following  statement  that  the  men  were 
tory  privateers,  who  had  been  commissioned  by  the  British 
to  plunder  the  Connecticut  towns  on  the  borders  of  L.  I. 
Sound.     It  says : — 

"June  Gth,  1781. — This  day  arrived  in  New  York,  Ebenezer  Hathaway  and 
Thomas  Smith,  who  on  the  IGth  of  May  last  made  tlieir  escape  from  Sims- 
burj  Mines  after  a  most  gallant  struggle  for  their  liberty.  These  men 
declare  that  they  were  two  of  eight  belonging  to  the  privateer  boat  Aventure 
which  was  duly  commissioned ;  tliat  they  were  taken  in  Huntington  Bay, 
Long  Island,  on  the  7th  of  April  by  seven  rebel  whale-boats  manned  with 
seventy-three  men,  and  that  night  carried  across  the  Sound  to  Stamford,  in 
Connecticut;  that  the  next  day  they  were  carried  to  what  they  called  head- 
quarters, before  Gen.  Waterbury,  who,  with  the  air  of  a  dem.agogue  ordered 


3g  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

them  to  Hartford  Gaol,  and  told  the  guard  they  had  his  liberty  to  strip  them 
even  to  the  clothes  remaining  on  their  backs ;  but  the  captors  had  left  them 
so  bare  that  all  they  had  about  them  now  was  not  an  object  even  to  a  Yankee 
soldier ;  there  they  lay  until  the  27th  following  when  their  trial  came  on 
before  the  superior  court ;  that  they  were  brought  before  the  court  and 
directed  to  plead  not  guilty  and  offered  for  counsel  Colonel  Sention,  one  of 
the  justices,  then  on  the  bench,  in  order  that  they  might  by  law  bring  them 
in  guilty;  but  aware  of  their  knavish  tricks,  they  declared  themselves 
British  subjects  and  refused  to  plead  either  guilty  or  not  guilty,  therefore 
they  were  ordered  to  Newgate  Gaol,  or  rather  to  that  inquisition,  Simsbury 
Mines,  which  from  the  following  description  exceed  anything  among  their 
allies  in  France  or  Spain. 

These  poor  unfortunate  victims,  relate  that  they  were  taken  from  Hart- 
ford Gaol  and  marched  under  a  strong  guard  to  Simsbury  Mines  distant 
about  seventy -four  miles.  In  approaching  this  horrid  dungeon  they  were 
first  conducted  through  the  apartments  of  the  guards,  then  through  a  trap- 
door downstairs  into  another  upon  the  same  floor  with  the  kitchen,  which 
was  divided  from  it  by  a  very  strong  partition  door.  In  the  corner  of  this 
outer  room,  and  near  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  opened  another  large  trap-door, 
covered  with  bars  and  bolts  of  iron,  which  was  hoisted  up  in  two  guards 
by  means  of  a  tackle,  whilst  the  hinges  grated  as  they  turned  upon  their 
hooks,  and  opened  the  jaws  and  mouth  of  what  they  call  Hell,  into  which 
they  descended  by  means  of  a  ladder  about  six  feet  more,  which  led  to  a 
large  iron  grate  or  hatchway,  locked  down  over  a  shaft  of  about  three  feet 
diameter,  sunk  through  the  solid  rock,  and  which  they  were  told  led  to  the 
bottomless  pit.  Finding  it  not  possible  to  evade  this  hard,  cruel  fate  they 
bade  adieu  to  the  world  and  descended  the  ladder  about  thirty-eight  feet 
more,  when  they  came  to  what  is  called  the  landing ;  then  marching  shelf 
by  shelf  till  descending  about  thirty  or  forty  feet  more  they  came  to  a  plat- 
form of  boards  laid  under  foot,  with  a  few  more  put  overhead  to  carry  off 
the  water  which  keeps  continually  dropping.  Here,  say  they,  we  found  the 
inhabitants  of  this  woful  mansion  who  were  exceedingly  anxious  to  know 
what  was  going  on  above.     We  told  them  that  Lord  Cornwallis  had  beat  the 

rebel  army  and  that  their  money  was  gone  to  the  d 1,  with  which  they 

seemed  satisfied  and  rejoiced  at  the  good  news. 

They  were  obliged  to  make  use  of  pots  of  charcoal  to  dispel  the  foul  air, 
which  in  some  degree  is  drawn  off  by  the  means  of  a  ventilator  or  auger 
hole  which  is  bored  from  the  surface  through  at  this  spot,  said  to  be  seventy 
feet  perpendicular.  Here  they  continued  twenty  days  and  nights,  resolved, 
however,  to  avail  themselves  of  the  first  opportunity  to  get  out,  although 
they  shonld  lose  their  lives  in  the  attempt.  Accordingly  on  the  18th, 
eighteen  of  them  being  let  up  to  the  kitchen  to  cook,  found  means  to  break 
the  lock  of  the  door  which  kept  them  from  the  foot  of  the  ladder  leading  to 
the  guard-room.  They  now  doubly  resolved  to  make  a  push  should  the  door 
be  opened ;  which  fortunately  was  the  case  about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  (to  let 
down  a  prisoner's  wife  who  had  come  there  and  was  permitted  to  see  him.) 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  39 

Immediately  they  seized  the  fortunate  moment  and  rushed  up,  but  before 
any,  except  one,  got  out,  the  door  was  slammed  down  on  the  rest,  and  he, 
the  brave  Captain  Hathaway,  who  commanded  the  adventure,  scuffled  with 
the  whole  of  them  for  a  few  minutes  and  was  wounded  in  three  different 
places  when  he  was  nobly  assisted  by  his  trusty  friend,  Thomas  Smith,  and 
afterwards  by  the  other  eight.  They  then  advanced  upon  the  guard  con- 
sisting of  twenty-four  in  number,  and  took  the  whole  prisoners.  This  was 
no  sooner  accomplished  than  they  brought  their  companions  out  of  the 
bottomless  pit  and  put  the  guard  down  into  their  room,  then  marched  off 
with  their  arms  and  ammunition,  but  were  soon  afterwards  obliged  to 
disperse." 

A  Committee  was  appointed  by  the  Assembly,  then  in 
session,  to  repair  to  Newgate  and  inquire  into  the  facts 
respecting  the  insurrection.  They  reported  the  evidence  in 
the  case,  some  of  which  it  is  curious  to  notice  in  their  own 
words,  as  follows : — 

'■'•  Jacob  Southwell  was  awakened  by  the  tumult,  took  a  gun  and  run  out  of 
the  guard-house,  and  durst  not  go  back  for  fear  they  would  hurt  him.  N.  B. 
A  young  man  more  Jit  to  carry  fish  to  market^  than  to  keep  guard  at  New- 
gate. Nathan  Phelps  was  also  asleep — wak'd  but  could  do  nothing,  the 
prisoners  having  possession  of  the  guard-house  (a  small  lad  just  fit  to  drive 
plow  with  a  very  gentle  team.)  He  went  to  Mr.  Viets's  and  stayed  till 
morning  (poor  boy)  !  Abagail,  the  wife  of  Jno.  Young,  alias  Mattick,  says 
that  the  first  night  she  came  to  prison,  she  gave  to  her  husband  52  silver 
dollars — her  husband  told  her  after  he  came  out  that  he  had  given  Sergt. 
Lilly  50  of  them  in  order  that  he  may  suffer  the  prisoners  to  escape — that 
he  told  her  the  Sergt.  purposely  left  the  door  of  the  south  jail  unlocked — 
that  Sergt.  Lilly  was  not  hurt — that  she  borrowed  the  money  of  a  pedler — 
that  she  heard  Lilly  say,  it  was  a  great  pity  such  likely  men  should  live  and 
die  in  that  place." 

Nov.  6th,  1782,  the  wooden  buildings  of  the  prison  were 
again  destroyed  by  fire,  and  doubtless  by  design,  in  order  to 
aid  the  escape  of  the  Tories  in  confinement.  This  was  the 
third  iimQ  the  prison  buildings  had  been  burned  in  nine  years, 
since  its  first  inauguration,  and  more  than  one-half  of  the  whole 
number  of  convicts  had  escaped  by  various  means.  The 
authorities  probably  by  this  time  began  to  change  their  opin- 
ion that  *'it  would  be  next  to  impossible  for  any  person  to 
escape,"  and  that  as  a  Yankee  once  said,  it  was  "dangerous 
being  safe." 

The  following  is  too  rich  in  orthography  to  be  omitted.  It 
is  recorded  as  written  in  1783  : 


40  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

To  the  lion.  General  Assembly,  The  humble  petishen  of  Able  Davis— 
whare  as  at  the  honerable  supene  court  houlden  in  Hartford  in  Decembet 
last  I  was  conficted  of  mis  Deminer  on  the  count  of  newgate  being  burnt 
as  I  had  comand  of  said  gard  and  was  orded  to  bee  cohfind  3  month  and  pay 
fourteen  pounds  for  disabaing  orders,  I  cant  read  riten,  but  I  did  all  in  my 
power  to  distingus  the  flame,  but  being  very  much  frited  and  not  the  faculty 
to  doe  as  much  in  distress  as  I  could  another  time  and  that  is  very  smaul, 
what  to  do  I  thot  it  was  best  to  let  out  the  prisners  that  war  in  the  botams 
as  I  had  but  just  time  to  get  the  gates  lifted  before  the  hous  was  in  flames, 
and  the  gard  bein  frited  it  twant  in  my  power  to  scape  them.  I  now  pray  to 
be  Deflehaned  from  further  in  prisment,  and  the  const  of  said  sute  as  I  hante 
abel  to  pay  the  const,  or  give  me  the  liberty  of  the  yard  as  I  am  very  unwell 
as  your  pitishner  in  duty  bound  will  for  ever  pray.  Abel  Daveis. 

Hartford  Goal,  January  14th,  1783. 

The  struggles  at  this  prison  to  subdue  Toryism,  were 
doubtless  greater  than  at  any  other  place  in  any  of  the  Col- 
onies. Many  of  those  in  confinement  were  men  of  talents, 
spirit,  and  wit ;  and  they  occasionally  indulged  their  pro- 
clivities by  making  poetry  in  derision  of  the  measures  which 
were  carried  on  by  the  patriots  against  England.  The 
following  is  a  part  of  some  rhymes  (referring  to  the  patriots) 
composed  by  them,  and  sent  to  their  keeper : 

"  Many  of  them  in  halters  will  swing, 
Before  John  Hancock  will  ever  be  king." 

John  Hancock,  being  one  of  the  most  ardent  friends  of  the 
Kevolution,  was  particularly  obnoxious  to  the  British,  and  a 
price  was  set  on  his  head ;  this  raised  the  spirit  of  the  col- 
onists, and  they  at  once  elected  him  President  of  Congress, 
which  drew  upon  him  the  special  odium  of  the  Tories. 

The  following  is  from  the  original  now  in  the  possession 
of  the  author : 

"Mr.  Vteis:  If  you  have  any  meet  cooked,  you  will  much  obliclge  me  by 
sending  a  dinner,  for  I  suffer  for  want.  *'  Peter  SacJceti/' 

This  man  was  one  of  the  thirty  who  were  engaged  in  a 
bloody  contest  with  the  guard,  and  he  made  his  escape  at 
that  time.  The  imprisoned  Tories  were  not  without  sym- 
pathizers, and  spiritual  comforters.  The  Rev'd  Roger  Yiets, 
an  Episcopal  clergyman,  a  resident  of  Sirasbury,  and  previ- 
ously alluded  to,  occasionally  expounded  the  gospel  to  tliem, 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  41 

and  taught  them  the  gospel  precept,  "  Honor  the  King."  His 
reverence  was  a  noted  good  liver  among  the  people,  and 
besides  what  was  given  him  in  donations,  he  received  annually 
forty  pounds  from  the  established  Church  of  England. 
After  Independence  was  acknowledged  by  Great  Britain, 
the  salaries  of  the  clergy  were  discontinued,  but  the  Church 
"Propagation  Society"  of  England  offered  to  continue  the 
stipends  to  such  of  the  American  Clergy,  as  would  remove 
to  the  British  dominions  where  parishes  were  assigned  them. 
Mr.  Yiets  among  others,  considered  it  prudent  to  accept  the 
offer,  and  emigrated  to  Nova  Scotia,  where  his  descendants 
now  reside  in  respectable  circumstances. 

A  Tory  Clergyman  in  Newgate. 
The  choicest  specimen  of  black-hearted  treason  under  the 
cloak  of  priestly  sanctity,  was  exhibited  in  the  person  of  a 
Tory  of  the  name  of  Simeon  Baxter,  who  was  confined  in 
the  caverns.  From  which  of  the  thirteen  colonies  he  was 
sent,  is  not  ascertained,  but  he  must  have  been  regarded  by 
the  people  as  a  real  champion  of  Toryism.  He  preached  a 
sermon  to  his  companions  in  prison,  in  1781,  which  was 
printed  in  London  soon  after.  On  account  of  its  novelty  of 
c»mception,  acrimony  of  spirit,  ability,  and  pungency,  it  is 
here  published  entire,  with  its  title  in  full,  as  it  was 
printed.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  text,  as  he  quotes  it, 
varies  from  the  precise  phraseology  of  the  scriptures;  the 
words  "having  descended"  behig  surreptitiously  employed, 
probably  because  he  considered  them  an  improvement  on 
the  scriptures  as  applicable  to  his  situation,  he  being  com- 
pelled to  descend  into  the  caverns.  Whatever  may  be 
thought  of  his  sentiments,  the  ability  with  which  the  dis- 
course was  written  proves  its  author  to  have  been  a  man  of 
powerful  intellect  and  of  considerable  research,  zealously 
determined  to  incite  his  companions  to  deeds  of  blood.  It  is 
indeed  wonderful  that  Gen,  Washington  or  the  Continental 
Congress  escaped  assassination,  when  such  vindictive  charac- 
ters boldly  advised  a  resort  to  the  dagger  in  order  to  exter- 
minate the  frier  ds  of  liberty. 


42  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

"  Tyrannicide  proved  Lawful,  from  the  Practice  and  Writings  of  Jews, 
Heathens,  and  Christians :  A  Discourse,  delivered  in  the  Mines  at 
Symshury ,  in  the  Colony  of  Connecticut,  to  the  Loyalists  eonfined  there 
hy  Order  of  the  Congress,  on  Septeniher  19,  1781,  hy  Simeon  Baxter, 
a  Licentiate  in  Divinity,  and  voluntary  Chaplain  to  those  Prisoners  in 
the  Apartment  called  Orcus : 

Having  descended,  he  preached  to  the  Spirits  in  Prison. — 1st  Peter,  lii,  19. 
Regnabit  sanguine  multo — ad  Regnum  quisquis  venit  ah  Exilo.  Whoever 
comes  to  his  kingdom  from  exile,  he  will  rule  with  much  blood. — 
Suetonius' s  life  of  Nero. 

Printed    in    America ;    London,    Reprinted    for    S.    Blandon    in    Pater-Noster  Row, 

MDCCLXXXII." 

*'  To  General  Washington^  and  the  Congress  styling  themselves  Governors 
and  Protectors  of  Thirteen  Colonies  belonging  to  the  Crown  of  England : 
"  Gentlemen,  That  you  may  have  the  honour  of  dying  for  the  people, 
instead  of  their  dying  for  you  and  your  allies,  was  the  design  I  had  in 
preaching  and  publishing  this  discourse ;  and  should  it  produce  the  desired 
effect,  I  shall  think  myself  paid  for  all  my  trouble  and  expence.  If  you  can 
bestow  one  generous  deed  on  your  ruined  country,  adopt  the  act  of  Suicide  to 
balance  the  evils  of  your  lives,  and  save  the  virtuous  citizens  of  America 
the  glorious  trouble  of  doing  justice  on  j'ou. 

"Remember  Judas  was  not  a  patriot  till  he  hanged  himself  for  betraying 
his  Saviour  and  his  God.  Go  thou  and  do  likewise  and  you  will  prove 
yourselves  real  Saviours  of  America,  and  like  him,  hold  a  place  in  the 
temple  of  everlasting  Fame.  Should  your  courage  or  your  virtue  fail  in  so 
meritorious  a  deed,  sacred  Religion  stands  on  tiptoe  to  inspire  aJl  her 
children  by  some  hidden  thunder  or  some  burnished  weapon,  to  do  it  for 
you,  and  to  save  themselves  from  Nimrod's  paradise.  When  you  are  dead, 
your  grateful  countrymen  will  not  let  your  Honours  lie  in  dust,  but  will 
raise  you  to  some  airy  tomb  between  the  drooping  clouds  and  parching  sands  : 
then  your  exaltation  will  make  islands  glad ;  Peace  with  new-fledged  wing, 
shall  fly  through  every  state,  and  echo  happiness  to  weeping  willows ;  nay, 
the  mourning  doves  shall  forsake  the  wilderness  to  chant  your  praises ; 
and  the  mope-eyed  owls,  in  open  day,  shall  view  with  wonder  your  patriotic 
virtues.  The  Author." 

*'  To  the  Protestant  Rebel  Ministers  of  the  Gospelin  the  Thirteen  Confederated 

Colonies  in  America : 

"  Gentlemen — The  bloody  part  you  have  acted  in  obedience  to  your  cred- 
itors, the  merchants  smugglers,  both  in  the  pulpit  and  the  field,  with  your 
spiritual  and  temporal  swords,  entitles  you  to  the  second  class  of  patriots, 
who  disgrace  religion  with  hypocrisy,  and  humanity  with  barbarity.  Spec- 
tators with  great  justice  have  decided,  that  you  are  the  successors  of  him 
who  went  to  and  fro  seeking  whom  he  might  devour,  and  not  of  him  who 
went  about  doing  good.  Inasmuch  as  you  began  rebellion  because  your 
King  would  not  persecute,   but  tolerate  his  faithful  catholic   subjects  in 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  43 

Canada,  and  to  support  your  rebellion,  you  luive  since  joined  yourselves 
unto  idols,  and  made  alliance  with  the  Papists  of  France  to  root  up  the 
protestant  religion,  ■•  for  which  our  fatliers  bled  and  died,  inasmuch  as  you 
have  out-acted  the  Pope,  discarded  and  abjured  your  rightful  king,  neglected 
to  visit  those  in  prison,  and  forbid  the  exercise  of  that  charity  to  the  miser- 
able, which  hides  a  multitude  of  sins,  I  must  take  leave  of  you  in  the  words 
spoken  to  your  predecessors  by  the  Saviour  of  all  penitent  sinners,  '  Go 
your  way  for  I  know  you  not.'  The  Author." 

SERMON. 

Then  three  men  of  Judah  went  to  the  top  of  the  rock  Etam,  and  said  to 
Samson,  knowest  thou  not  that  the  Philistines  are  rulers  over  us?  and  what  is 
this  that  thou  hast  done  unto  us  ?  And  he  said  unto  them :  As  they  did  unto 
me,  so  have  I  done  unto  Xhtva.— Judges  xv.  11. 

"In  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  we  are  told  that  the  children  of  Israel 
again  did  evil  in  the  siglit  of  the  Lord,  for  which  they  were  delivered  into 
the  hands  of  the  Philistines  forty  years  ;  a  heavy  judgment  to  fall  under  the 
power  of  any  people  without  law,  justice,  or  mercy !  yet  God  has  considered 
6uch  a  calamity  as  due  to  idolaters,  and  the  enemies  of  common  sense. 
Whatever  nation  is  governed  by  a  set  of  men  like  the  Philistines,  without 
any  fixed  rules  of  right,  is  controlled  by  a  set  of  beasts,  with  sharp  horns, 
arrogance,  and  pride.  Israel  being  thus  in  bondage,  God  raised  up  Samson 
to  deliver  them,  who  went  down  to  Timnath,  and  took  a  wife  of  the  Philis- 
tines, of  whom  he  was  unjustly  robbed,  without  hopes  of  any  legal  redress. 
After  this  outrage,  Samson  had  a  just  opportunity  to  make  war  upon  them, 
which  he  did,  though  unassisted  and  opposed  by  his  servile  countrymen. 
The  men  of  Judah,  like  modern  politicians,  were  alarmed  at  the  war  which 
threatened  them,  and  sought  peace  with  the  Philistines  by  joining  against 
their  deliverer,  and  accosted  him  in  the  words  of  the  text.  "  What  is  this 
that  thou  hast  done  unto  us?  "  Samson  answered,  and  justified  his  conduct 
upon  the  law  of  nature  :  "As  they  have  done  unto  me  so  have  I  done  unto 
them," — a  good  defence  against  the  Philistines,  who  acted  upon  private 
principles,  and  trampled  under  foot  the  laws  of  God  and  civil  society.  Had 
the  case  been  otherwise,  Samson,  who  judged  Israel  twenty  years,  and 
whom  the  Lord  blessed,  would  have  sought  justice  from  the  decision  of  an 
impartial  judge,  instead  of  redressing  himself  by  the  natural  law  of  retalia- 
tion. There  are  but  two  wayi  of  deciding  differencei ;  the  one  it  by  law,  the 
other  by  force.  The  first  is  the  rule  of  men  formed  into  civil  societies  ;  the 
second  of  men  and  beasti  in  the  state  of  nature. 

Kings  of  civil  societies,  in  a  just  war,  have  recourse  to  the  state  of  nature, 
and  use  their  last  arguments,  when  justice  cannot  be  had  for  injuries 
received.  Cicero,  one  of  the  luminaries  of  the  heathen  world,  asserts  that 
"  war  is  supported  by  us  against  those  of  whom  we  can  obtain  no  law." 
Grotius,  the  great  oracle  of  Christians,  saith  that  "the  law  forbids  me  to 
pursue  my  right  but  by  a  course  of  law."    This  is  a  good  law  in  civil  society, 

*  He  probably  refers  to  our  treaty  of  alliance  made  with  France. 


44  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

where  justice  is  administered  according  to  the  laws  of  right,  where  the 
innocent  are  protected  against  oppressors ;  but  in  a  state  of  nature,  where 
no  law  but  that  of  power  doth  exist,  the  maxim  of  Grotius  is  not  applicable, 
unless  the  nature  of  law  is  to  support  the  tyrants,  and  oppress  the  afflicted. 

Moses,  the  legislator  of  the  Jews,  knowing  that  men  were  partial  to 
themselves,  unjust  to  others,  and  unfit  to  be  their  own  judges,  ordered 
their  controversies  to  be  decided  according  to  the  law  :  but  whilst  Israel  was 
in  Egypt,  law  and  justice  had  no  place ;  whereupon  Moses,  to  point  out  the 
law  of  nature,  set  an  example  to  be  followed  by  all  men  on  proper  occasions ; 
he  saw  his  brethren  oppressed,  an  Egyptian  smiting  an  Hebrew,  and  knowing 
he  could  obtain  no  legal  satisfaction,  erected  an  high  court  of  justice,  and 
smote  the  Egyptian,  which  proves  we  may  revert  to  the  law  of  nature,  and 
repel  force  by  force,  and  do  justice  for  ourselves  when  no  legal  justice  can 
be  had.  If  this  be  not  the  case,  law  is  a  scourge  to  the  oppressed,  and  a 
protection  to  tyrants,  which  is  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  all  laws,  which  always 
provide  remedies  for  slaves  against  their  cruel  masters.  Since  the 
law  of  God  and  man  takes  care  for  slaves,  and  protects  them  from  the 
injuries  of  their  masters,  how  unreasonable  is  it,  that  the  free  people  of 
America,  who  have  only  God  for  their  master,  should  find  no  redress  against 
the  oppressions  of  a  barbarous  set  of  usurpers  and  tyrants,  who  have  laid 
waste  our  once  happy  country,  and  murdered  our  friends  and  relations 
before  our  eyes ;  who,  to  calm  our  complaints  of  misery,  either  hang  us 
upon  trees,  or  cast  us  into  some  darksome  prison,  where  their  midnight 
assassins  launch  us  out  of  time.  Merciful  God !  if  our  wives  and  children 
have  the  privilege  of  starving  in  the  streets,  we  are  taught  to  reverence  the 
favor  as  an  act  of  lenity  in  Congress  and  its  associates ! 

Since  we  live  in  an  evil  time,  when  all  laws  of  civil  society  are  repealed, 
"the  whole  head  sick  and  heart  faint,"  the  people  crouching  beneath  their 
burdens  and  crying,  "let  us  alone  that  we  may  serve  the  Egyptians,"  while 
the  Levites  from  their  pulpits,  like  the  men  of  Judah  from  the  top  of  Etam, 
are  proclaiming  "  know  you  not  that  the  Congress  are  rulers  over  us?  and  is 
it  not  better  to  serve  them  than  to  die  by  the  hand  of  Saul  or  the  bitter 
water  of  Marah  ?  "  Since  this  is  not  the  voice  of  wisdom,  but  of  Athalia,  of 
Mattan  and  his  priests  wlio  were  slain  at  the  horse-gate  and  the  altar, 
according  to  the  law  of  retaliation,  let  us  return  to  our  natural  right,  and 
act  the  magistrate  upon  those  usurpers  who  have  shut  up  the  course  of 
justice.  For  our  encouragement  we  have  for  our  example  the  prophet 
Samuel,  who  performed  justice  upon  Agag  with  his  own  hand,  saying,  "as 
thy  sword  has  made  women  childless,  so  shall  thy  mother  be  childless  among 
women,"  a  very  proper  punishment  for  tyrants,  who  advance  themselves 
above  the  reach  of  all  justice,  except  the  prayers  of  the  people,  and  the 
dagger  of  an  Ehud.  Providence  and  Nature  have  ever  united  devotion  and 
a  javelin  in  the  hands  of  a  Judith,  and  a  Jael,  to  bring  down  an  Holofernes, 
and  a  Sisera ;  because  tyrants  are  such  devils  as  cannot  be  cast  out  by  prayer 
and  fasting,  unless  aided  by  the  workman's  hammer.  Those  weapons  unite 
Heaven  and  Earth  to  govern  such  men  as  will  not  be  governed  by  civil  laws, 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  45 

that  every  man  might,  agreeable  to  tlie  Gospel,  lejip  wliat  he  sows,  and 
receive  the  same  measure  which  he  has  meted  out  to  others.  We  may 
complain  with  Jeremiah  and  say,  "  Why  do  the  wicked  prosper  and  the 
treacherous  wax  fat?  How  long  shall  the  land  mourn,  and  the  herbs  of  the 
field  wither?  "  We  may  add,  that  America  resembles  the  state  of  the  Jews 
upon  the  rivers  of  Babylon ;  for  she  has  long  hung  her  harps  upon  the  wil- 
lows, and  forgot  the  mirth  of  Zion  :  "  her  children  are  gone  forth,  and  are  not; 
each  one  is  crying,  Woe  is  me,  for  I  am  hurt;  my  wound  is  grievous,  and  I 
must  bear  it;  her  pastors  are  brutish,  their  work  is  the  work  of  errors,  the 
land  is  in  mourning ;  her  spoilers  are  seated  upon  high  places  to  keep  peace 
from  all  flesh  ;  "  and  no  Moses,  no  Ehud,  no  Samuel,  no  Samson,  no  Jehoida, 
no  Jael,  nor  Judith,  hath  appeared  with  a  patriotic  dagger,  to  do  justice 
upon  our  tyrants,  and  save  a  sinking  country !  Surely  this  is  not  for  want 
of  patriots,  but  for  the  want  of  truly  understanding  the  laws  of  God,  nature, 
and  civil  society,  which  permit  all  men  to  kill  thieves,  breaking  up  houses 
in  the  night,  lest  they  should  escape  justice  by  the  help  of  darkness.  Tyrants 
are  worse  robbers  than  the  midnight  thieves,  for  they  hold  themselves  above 
justice,  and  the  laws  of  civil  society,  which  renders  it  necessary  to  repel 
force  by  force,  and  restore  perfect  liberty,  the  genuine  fruit  of  law.  If  this 
is  not  tlie  case,  if  laws  of  society  bind  us  to  submit  to  the  usurpers  acting 
opposite  to  law,  a  solitary  life  in  the  state  of  nature  is  preferable  to  civil 
society ;  but  experience  has  taught  the  world,  that  there  is  no  protection  out 
of  civil  society,  and  in  a  state  of  nature  we  are  all  Ishmaels,  whose  hands 
are  against  one  another.  Men  enter  into  civil  societies,  but  not  barely  to 
exist,  which  they  might  do  dispersed  as  other  animals,  but  to  live  happy  and 
agreeable  to  the  dignity  of  human  nature.  To  effect  this  noble  view,  men 
agree  to  submit  their  passions  and  appetites  to  the  laws  of  reason  and 
justice ;  and  whenever  lust,  avarice,  and  ambition,  are  not,  and  cannot  be 
regulated  by  the  laws  of  the  state,  social  liberty  ceases,  and  natural  liberty 
revives,  wherein  every  man  is  a  soldier,  a  Moses,  a  Samson,  and  may  with- 
out incurring  the  guilt  of  murder,  kill  those  uncircuracised  Philistines  with 
a  javelin  or  any  other  weapon.  By  thus  doing,  men  act  upon  the  first  law 
which  is  self-preservation,  against  thieves,  tigers,  and  beasts  of  prey,  a  law 
which  is  above  all  political  precepts  and  rules,  and  superior  to  every  opinion 
of  the  mind.  Since  it  is  lawful  to  use  any  means  in  destroying  tyrants,  let 
us  act  gloriously  in  so  doing,  and  free  our  country  of  the  noxious  Congress, 
under  whose  usurpations  thousands  have  been  murdered,  and  tens  of 
thousands  have  been  plundered.  Having  thus  briefly  touched  upon  the  laws 
of  God,  of  nature,  and  of  nations,  respecting  the  freedom  and  the  rights  of 
men,  I  shall, 

1st.  Enquire  whether  Congress  are  usurpers  and  tyrants,  or  a  legal 
body  of  men. 

2nd.  Prove  it  the  duty  of  all  Protestants  to  do  justice  on  them  as  Samson 
did  on  the  Philistines. 

3rd.  Point  out  the  benefit  and  necessity  of  so  doing.  As  to  the  first 
head,  we  shall  find  that  Congress  may  claim  with  great  justice  and  little 


46  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

honor,  the  dignity  of  being  both  usurpers  and  tyrants.  The  civil  law 
describes  him  to  be  an  usurper  who  governs  without  any  right;  and  the 
tyrant  is  he  who  governs  contrary  to  the  laws.  My  business  is  to  show 
who  have  a  right  to  govern,  and  what  makes  the  powder  just.  Fathers 
have  a  natural  right  to  govern  their  wives  and  children,  because  they 
defend  and  support  them;  and  in  return  the  wives  and  children  owe 
and  pay  subjection  and  obedience.  Civil  society  is  made  up  of  several 
independent  families  by  general  consent,  or  by  the  command  of  God.  Nature 
and  revelation  point  out  the  necessity  of  having  some  to  rule,  and  others  to 
obey  the  rules  and  laws  appointed  by  God,  or  the  people,  who  alone  have 
the  power  to  alter  natural  liberty,  and  establish  civil  societies.  The  rulers 
are  to  be  obeyed  so  far  as  they  command  according  to  the  laws,  and  no 
farther ;  and  the  great  body  of  the  people  are  the  judges  to  determine  when 
the  rulers  govern  by  the  laws,  and  when  they  do  not ;  for  the  people  are 
the  legislators,  and  subjects  of  their  laws,  and  not  subjects  of  their  magis- 
trates. Notwithstanding  this,  a  servant  by  the  laws  of  God  may  say,  I  will 
not  be  free,  and  can  bind  myself  to  serve  forever.  Ex.  xxi,  5.  And  the 
same  power  is  vested  in  every  society,  as  appears  from  the  history  of  Saul 
and  David. 

It  is  very  true,  that  God  appointed  Saul  to  be  king  over  the  people,  to 
punish  them  for  their  ingratitude,  which  rendered  Saul's  power  absolute, 
and  passive  obedience  and  non-resistance  of  divine  authority ;  but  Samuel 
anointed  David  king,  who  after  Saul's  death  was  confirmed  by  the  elders  of 
Israel  at  Hebron.  2  Samuel  xi.  3.  Those  elders  were  the  deputies  of  the 
people,  authorized  to  limit  David's  kingly  power ;  for  before  his  inaugura- 
tion, they  obliged  him  by  compact  to  govern  justly,  i.  e.  to  protect  the  good, 
and  to  execute  wrath  upon  the  evil.  Thus  David  became  a  minister  of  God 
to  rule  for  the  good  of  his  people.  Hence  it  is  plain  that  all  just  power  oi 
government  originates  from  God  or  the  people ;  therefore,  all  who  arrogate 
to  themselves  the  power  of  governing,  and  cannot  produce  a  commission 
from  God  or  the  people,  are  usurpers  and  tyrants,  who  may  oppress  but 
cannot  govern.  To  such  a  power,  people  may  be  subject  for  wrath,  but  not 
for  conscience  sake. 

After  what  has  been  suggested,  have  we  not  reason  and  a  natural  right  to 
ask  Congress,  "  who  made  you  rulers  over  us?  If  God,  why  have  not  you 
published  your  commission?  If  the  people,  where  was  the  place  that  we 
assembled?  when  did  we  give  our  consent?  who  were  our  elders  to  confirm 
your  mighty  power?  "* 


*  True  it  is  that  near  one  hundred  persons  convened  at  Wethersfleld,  according  to  an 
advertisement  signed  by  one  Thomas  Seymour,  a  lawyer,  and  chose  a  member  to  repre- 
sent in  Congress  the  County  of  Hartford,  containing  above  sixty  thousand  souls.  But 
it  is  presumed  that  previous  to  the  ohoice  of  members  of  Congress,  the  question  whether 
there  should  be  a  Congress,  ought  to  have  been  put  to  the  vote.  That,  however,  was 
artfully  evaded ;  a  vast  majority  of  the  people  were  thereby  divested  of  their  weight  in 
the  Colony,  as  it  would  have  been  in  the  highest  degree  absurd  and  nugatory  to  have 
voted  for  members  of  a  Congress  which  did  not  exist,  and  which  they  would  not  have 
suffered  to  exist,  had  a  fair  opportunity  been  given  for  their  votes  on  that  point.    This 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  47 

Whenever  Congress  shall  answer  these  important  and  natural  questions, 
and  prove  their  authority  to  be  from  heaven  or  of  men,  I  will  gladly  quit 
my  chains,  and  submit  to  their  dominion.  Until  these  questions  are  duly 
answered,  I  will  view  my  dungeon  as  my  palace,  and  continue  to  say,  if 
changing  the  government  established  by  our  ancestors,  without  our  consent, 
or  that  of  the  king,  or  the  nation  of  which  we  are  a  part ;  if  dissolving  char- 
ters, oaths,  laws,  and  establishing  iniquity  by  the  bayonet ;  if  taking  away 
men's  lives,  liberty,  and  property,  by  Committees  of  Safety,  the  Inquisition, 
and  Star  Chamber  Court  in  America ;  if  maintaining  rebellion  by  force  and 
fraud  t*  the  benefit  of  a  junto,  and  to  the  destruction  of  the  people,  of  prop- 
erty ;  if  these  things  denote  what  is  tyranny,  Congress  cannot,  with  all  its 
impudence,  but  own  itself  composed  of  the  greatest  tyrants  that  ever  dis- 
graced human  nature.  Congress  having  done  all  this,  and  commanded 
themselves  to  be  prayed  for  as  the  supreme  authority  of  America;  they 
have  left  us  in  the  state  either  of  David  to  pray  for  deliverance  from  cruel 
and  unreasonable  men,  or  to  pray  like  the  woman  of  Syracuse  for  Dionysius. 

I  shall  now  add  some  outward  marks  given  of  ancient  tyrants,  to  show 
the  violence  and  deceit  of  Congress.  "Tyrants"  says  Tacitus,  "subvert 
laws  and  government  under  color  of  defending  the  rights  and  liberties  of 
the  people ;  and  when  they  have  got  sufficient  power,  they  rob  the  people  of 
all  their  rights."  Plato  says,  "  Tyrants  practice  contrary  to  physicians,  who 
purge  us  of  our  evil  humors,  but  they,  of  our  purest  blood."  Machiavel 
says,  "  Tyrants  provide  for  ministers,  when  they  flatter  and  torture  Scripture, 
to  prove  usurpers  lawful  governors."  Aristotle  says,  "  The  most  successful 
art  of  tyrants,  is  to  pretend  great  love  for  God  and  Religion."  In  these 
things  we  know  Congress  have  excelled  St.  Oliver,  and  taught  us  that  in 
godliness  is  great  gain ;  and  that  preaching  and  praying  lead  to  other  king- 
doms besides  that  of  heaven ;  we  are  also  taught  that  its  arms  are  not 
carnal,  but  protestant;  for  they  have  overcome  the  church  in  defiance  of  all 
her  prayers  and  tears.  Had  not  modern  Christians  preferred  the  honor  of 
being  governed  by  a  Protestant  Congress,  they  might  have  had  preaching 
for  their  tenths,  instead  of  paying  life,  liberty,  and  property.  To  their 
comfort  be  it  spoken,  Congress  manages  the  spiritual  and  temporal  sword 
with  as  much  dexterity  as  the  Pope  of  Rome.  Further  evidence  need  not 
be  produced  of  the  tyranny  of  Congress,  unless  to  such  men  as  have  great 
faitli  and  little  understanding;  therefore  since  we  both  see  and  feel  the 
merciless  power  of  those  beasts  of  prey,  I  shall  proceed,  secondly,  to  prove 
it  the  duty  of  all  Protestants  to  do  justice  on  Congress,  as  Samson  did  on 
the  Philistines.  Among  us  are  two  sects  of  Christians  who  daily  pray  to  be 
delivered  from  the  tyranny  of  those  uncircumcised  Philistines,  but  conscien- 
tiously diflfer  about  the  mode  ;  the  one  expects  the  Lord  to  remove  them; 


was  the  case  throughout  meet  of  the  Colonies.  The  Congreps  once  formed  in  that 
anfair  manner,  decreed  that  members  in  future  should  be  elected  only  by  the  truefrienda 
Df  America ;  that  is,  such  aa  should  abjure  their  king  and  sign  the  league  and  covenant ; 
BO  that  three-fourths  of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  have  never  given  a  vote  even  for  a 
Member. 


48  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

the  other  expects  that  deliverance  will  be  given  l>y  a  Samson,  armed  with 
the  jawbone  of  an  ass.  The  Tories  believe  patience  to  be  the  only  lawful 
cure,  when  under  the  power  of  usurpers  and  tyrants ;  the  Whigs  believe 
the  safety  of  the  people  to  be  the  first  law,  and  laws  to  be  above  all  rulers ; 
and  that  kings  and  governors  are  accountable  for  their  conduct  at  the  bar  of 
the  community. 

Here  is  the  creed  of  those  two  sects  touching  lawful  rulers ;  but  I  must 
remind  them,  without  condemning  either,  that  no  people  of  sober  sense  ever 
gave  up  justice  and  liberty  in  duty  and  conscience,  to  usurpers  and  tyrants, 
who  are  Ishmaels,  and  wholly  excluded  all  human  protection,  because  they 
are  enemies  to  societies,  subverters  of  laws,  and  murderers  of  individuals ; 
it  is  for  this  reason  justice  dispenses  with  her  forms,  and  leaves  tyrants  and 
usurpers    in  the  number  of  those  savage  beasts  who  herd  not  together,  but 
defend  themselves  by  their  own  strength,  and  prey  upon  all  weaker  animals. 
"Would  our  Whigs  and  Tories  reflect  a  few  moments  upon  the  nature  ol 
civil  society,  and  upon  what  Tully  says  of  laws,  magistrates  and  people, 
they  would  discover  laws  to  be  above  magistrates,  as  they  are  above  Individ, 
uals.     It  follows,  that,  when  the  depravity  of  men's  wills  renders  them 
unfit  to  live  in  human  society,  it  is  murder  in  the  community  to  let  them 
live.     If,  then,  in  the  land  of  peace,  legal  rulers  degenerate  into  tyrants, 
weary  people,  and  merit  death,  what  deserve  usurpers   and  tyrants,  who, 
like  the  swellings  of  Jordan,  sweep  the  world  of  safety  by  their  iron  rods? 
Since  we  know  that  usurpers  hold  themselves  above  all  justice  but  the 
stroke  of  some  generous  hand,  we  are  to  consider  laws  of  civil  society  in 
regard  to  them  as  cobwebs,   and  no  longer  act  like  the  Athenians,  who 
punished  only  little  thieves.     If  we  were  beasts,  we  should  have  a  right  to 
protect  ourselves  against  our  enemies ;  and  as  men  and  Christians,  we  can- 
not have  less  by  entering  into  civil  society.     Let  us,    then,  awake  from 
slumber,  and  convince  those  men  who  shun  justice  in  the  court,  that  they 
shall  meet  it  in  their  beds;  for  they  are  armed  against  all,  and  all  may 
lawfully  arm  against  them.     Nothing  is  more  absurd  than  to  kill  thieves, 
vipers,  and  bears,   to  prevent  their  cruel  designs,  and  at  the  same  time 
preserve  Congress  from  acting  much  worse  than  the  others  intended.     No 
one  can  any  longer  doubt  of  the  lawfulness  of  destroying  public  robbers, 
whenever  prudence  points  out  the  way,  since  the  laws  of  God  and  men 
make  it  lawful  to  extirpate  private  robbers.     Let  us  live  in  constant  faith 
that  Heaven  will  soon  sanctify  some  patriotic  hand,  armed  with  some  sacred 
weapon,  to  bring  down  that  bloody  and  deceitful  house,  which   holds  its 
existence  not  only  to  the  misery,  but  to  the  everlasting  infamy  of  Protestant 
America.     The  action  is  not  only  lawftd,  hut  glorious  in  idea,  and  immortal 
in  its  reward!     Were   not  these   sentiments   supported  by  the  wise   and 
grave   among  the   ancients,  and   the   Jesuits  and  Protestants  of  the   last 
century,  I  should  not  have  preached  them  in  this  dreary  abode.     But  to 
wipe  all  doubts  from  your  minds,  I  will  produce  some  authorities  to  support 
what  has  been  said. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  49 

Tertullian  says,  "Against  common  enemies  and  traitors  to  the  rights  and 
majesty  of  the  people  everything  is  lawful." 

Xenophon  says,  "  The  Grecians  erected  in  their  temples  among  their 
gods,  statues  for  those  that  killed  tyrants." 

It  was  enacted  by  the  Valerian  law,  that  "whoever  made  themselves 
rulers  without  command  from  the  people,  were  tyrants,  and  might  be  killed." 

Plutarch  says,  "It  is  lawful  to  kill  usurpers  without  trial." 

Polybius  says,  "  Men  of  the  greatest  virtues  conspired  against  and  killed 
tyrants." 

Cicero  applauds  Brutus  for  conspiring  against  Julius  Casar,  "What 
action,  O!  Jupiter,  more  glorious,  more  worthy  of  eternal  memory?" 

At  Athens,  according  to  Solon's  law,  "death  was  decreed  for  tyrants  and 
their  abettors." 

Plato  says,  "When  tyrants  cannot  be  expelled  by  law,  the  citizens  may 
use  secret  practices."  The  reason  is,  community  must  be  preserved  from 
the  rage  of  tyrants,  who  can  receive  no  injustice,  either  by  force  or  fraud. 
Thus  you  have  the  opinions  of  the  ancients ;  while  the  history  of  Rome, 
Christian  and  Germanic  States  and  England  teaches  us  the  same  doctrines 
and  practices. 

The  Jesuits,  in  Spain  and  France,  have  ever  held  the  knife  of  justice  as  a 
law  for  tyrants.  Our  fathers  in  the  last  century  erected  a  high  court  of 
justice  for  a  tyrant,  his  reverend  and  right  reverend  abettors.  Congress  and 
the  governors  of  our  respective  States,  have  sufficiently  proved  by  their 
practices,  that  the  killing  of  tyrants  and  their  adherents  is  not  murderous, 
but  truly  Christian,  upon  which  priciple, America  armed  against  her  rightful 
king;  and,  for  the  same  reason,  we  that  love  our  country  may  destroy  the 
self-created  Congress,  which  sits  in  Caesar's  chair,  above  citation,  or  a  court 
of  justice.  What  Whig  or  Tory  will  be  content  with  formal  remedies  which 
are  far  off? — what  justice  can  we  expect  from  malefactors  who  have  the 
power  to  hang  and  assassinate  their  rightful  judges?  Consonant  to  what 
been  said  about  tyrants  and  usurpers,  stands  the  law  of  God,  viz : 
^^  He  thai  acts  presumptuously  shall  surely  die."  In  such  a  case,  every 
man  is  judge  and  executioner.  By  this  law,  Moses  slew  the  Egyptians ; 
Ehud  slew  Eglon;  Samson,  the  Philistines;  Samuel,  Agag;  and  Jehoida, 
Athaliah.  By  parity  of  reason,  every  Cicero  and  Brutus  may  smite  hip  and 
thigh,  the  Congress,  its  Mattans  and  Janizaries,  for  they  have  presumptu- 
ously smote  our  children  and  countrymen  with  whips  of  brass,  fed  them 
with  passive  obedience,  and  clothed  them  in  prisons  with  famine,  nakedness 
and  death.  It  cannot  be  infamous  to  destroy  them  by  whom  all  America  is 
oppressed;  because  Moses  is  immortalized  in  the  records  of  God,  for  killing 
an  individual  who  oppressed  another.  This  we  may  depend  on,  that  what- 
ever was  lawful  and  right  in  Moses,  Ehud,  and  Samson,  is  lawful  and  right 
for  Whigs  and  Tories  in  America ;  for  the  laws  of  retaliation  and  justice, 
are  the  same  here  as  they  were  in  Jewry. 

Some  people  object,  and  say  that  these  examples  taken  from  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, were  of  men  sent  by  God  to  kill  those  several  tyrants,  and  have  we 

4 


50  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

not  the  like  commission.  Milton,  of  immortal  fame,  has  answered  this 
objection.  Says  he,  "  If  God  commanded  tyrants  to  be  killed,  it  is  a  sign 
that  tyrants  ought  to  die."  Besides,  we  read  that  all  the  people  of  the  land 
rejoiced,  and  the  city  had  rest  after  Athaliah  was  slain  with  the  sword ;  that 
the  people  obeyed  Jehoiada  as  king  for  the  good  he  had  done,  and  buried 
him  among  their  princes ;  which  was  but  half  the  reward  given  to  this 
patriot,  for  the  divine  historian  has  recorded  his  generous  deed  in  the  book 
of  God,  where  the  last  man  that  lives  shall  read  his  eulogies,  and  the  just 
command  which  he  gave,  to  kill  the  followers  of  Athaliah ;  a  proper  warning 
to  our  Protestant  Levites,  our  generals  and  committees  of  safety,  to  repent, 
lest  they  likewise  perish  with  their  masters,  by  the  workman's  hammer. 
But  the  objection  supposes  what  in  fact  is  not  true;  for  Samson  and  those 
other  worthies  who  killed  tyrants,  never  alleged  the  command  of  God  for 
what  they  did,  but  defended  themselves  on  the  plea  of  retaliation — *'As 
they  did  unto  me,  so  have  I  done  unto  them."  God  had  not  appeared  to 
Moses  in  the  bush  prior  to  his  smiting  the  Egyptian ;  and  Jehoiada  had  only 
the  call  which  is  common  to  all  men — to  do  natural  justice  when  legal  can- 
not be  had.  Some  people  pretend  to  believe  Congress  are  not  usurpers  and 
tyrants,  because  traffic  and  appeals  are  carried  on  under  their  dominion, 
which  argues  a  tacit  consent  of  the  public. 

To  prove  these  men  mistaken,  I  need  only  say,  that  commerce  and 
pleading  were  carried  on  in  Rome  under  Caligula  and  Nero,  yet  those  who 
conspired  against  them  were  not  deemed  rebels,  but  were  eternized  for  their 
virtue. 

Having  pointed  out  the  marks  and  practices  of  tyrants  and  usurpers,  and 
shown  the  lawfulness  and  glory  of  killing  them,  I  shall  now,  in  the  third 
and  last  place,  hint  the  benefits  and  necessity  of  doing  it. 

What  is  our  present  condition?  Are  we  not  slaves  and  living  instruments 
of  Congress,  "Washington,  and  the  Protestant  Ministers,  and  their  Romish 
allies?  Poor  wretches,  indeed,  are  we!  Cozened  out  of  peace,  religion, 
liberty,  and  property ;  robbed  of  the  blessings  of  Judah ;  and  cursed  with 
the  spirit  and  burden  of  Issachar,  by  a  set  of  men  without  virtue,  or  the 
generous  vices  attending  greatness?  It  is  no  wonder  that  slaves  should 
lose  their  courage  with  their  virtue,  for  who  can  fight  for  Caesar*  that 
despises  them,  or  for  Nero,  when  every  victory  gained  for  him  confirms 
their  bondage,  and  adds  a  new  rivet  to  their  chains.  Thus  we  are  compelled 
to  live,  or  not  to  live  at  all ;  deliverance  is  not  to  be  hoped  for  from  our 
patience,  because  usurpers  are  never  modest  but  in  the  hour  of  weak- 
ness :  nor  was  any  government  ever  managed  with  justice,  that  was 
gained  by  villainy.     Liberty  and  bondage  are  now  before  us ;   those  who 


*  The  American  Loyalists  have  little  reason  to  confide  in  the  mercy  of  the  British  army 
and  navy,  who  have  uniformly  for  seven  years  treated  them  much  worse  than  they  have 
the  Rebels ;  and  Bhould  they  judge  the  English  nation  by  the  severity  of  its  military 
forces,  which  have  killed  and  plundered  more  Loyalists  than  Rebels,  no  nation  could 
censure  them  if  they,  like  Congress,  should  buy  their  good  will,  at  the  expense  of  their 
allegiance. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  51 

choose  liberty,  are  to  kill  the  uncircumcised  Congress.  Yet  I  find  some 
men  scruple  to  kill  their  oppressors  with  a  dagger  in  the  dark,  although  they 
allow  it  lawful  to  destroy  a  thief  that  comes  unarmed  to  rob ;  those  men 
seem  to  forget  the  law  of  self-preservation,  the  danger  of  open  force,  and 
that  tyrants  are  such  devils  as  rend  the  body  in  the  act  of  exorcism. 

How  can  it  be  lawful  to  kill  oppressors  in  an  open  field,  prepared  to  rob 
the  men  they  mean  to  murder,  and  unlawful  to  kill  such  villains  in  the  dark, 
without  hazard  to  the  patriot  or  to  the  commonwealth?  If  it  is  expedient  to 
lance  an  imposthurae  to  save  a  life,  it  is  lawful  to  lance  the  Congress  to  save 
the  liberties  of  our  country ;  for  those  boars  of  the  wilderness  have  broken 
down,  the  walls  of  the  vineyard,  and  destroyed  the  vintage  with  unlimited 
power,  which  always  subverts  civil  society,  and  turns  a  Cicero  into  a  Caligula. 
Our  religion,  and  all  we  call  valuable,  are  in  danger.  Despotism  is  now 
predominant;  and  America,  once  the  asylum  of  Protestants  persecuted 
beyond  the  seas,  is  sold  to  the  mother  of  harlots,  and  will  soon  be  cursed 
with  the  Inquisition  to  establish  Congress  and  its  generals,  as  the  hereditary 
lords  of  the  land.  Tyranny  and  oppressions  have  increased  with  the  age  of 
Congress,  and  our  deliverance  depends  upon  the  virtuous  spears  of  an 
injured  people,  or  upon  the  generosity  of  our  tyrants  by  hanging  themselves. 
But  since  we  know  they  lack  this  virtue,  nothing  remains  for  the  patriots 
but  to  do  justice  upon  well-erected  gibbets.  Whatever  Congress  may  think 
of  this  proposed  exaltation,  they  may  depend  upon  it,  that  eight-tenths  of 
the  people  would  rejoice  at  the  sight,  and  the  children  yet  unborn  would  be 
happy  under  their  rightful  king. 

Some  serious  "Whigs  who  have  lost  their  courage  with  their  fortunes,  groan 
under  their  present  burdens  and  say,  "we  fear  the  consequence  of  destroy- 
ing *'  Congress."  I  answer,  could  we  be  in  a  worse  condition  by  a  change, 
the  bare  desire  of  a  change  would  be  a  sign  of  madness.  Common  sense 
forbids  me  to  undergo  certain  misery,  for  fear  of  contingent  evils ;  or  to  let 
a  fever  rage  because  there  is  danger  of  taking  physic.  I  am  now  in  prison, 
where  I  must  infallibly  perish  if  I  am  not  relieved;  and  shall  I  refuse 
deliverance  from  this  darksome  dungeon  for  fear  of  being  confined  in  some 
other  place?  Heaven  forbid  such  madness!  Let  us  remember  the  rock 
from  whence  we  were  hewn.  Had  we  not  ancestors  in  the  last  century  who 
preferred  liberty  and  religion  in  this  howling  wilderness,  to  despotism  and 
persecution  in  Britannia's  fertile  fields?  Are  we  so  far  degenerated  as  to 
bow  down  to  tyrants  and  usurpers?  Our  fathers  resisted  lions,  and  killed 
tyrants  without  committing  murder  and  shall  we  submit  to  wolves  and  beasts 
of  prey  to  let  usurpers  live?  No !  let  the  examples  of  Ehud,  Samson,  Moses, 
and  Cromwell,  lead  us  back  to  glory,  virtue,  and  religion.  If  America  can 
produce  no  such  heroes,  we  must  exclaim  with  the  children  of  Israel, 
"  Would  to  God  we  had  died  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  where  we  sat  by  the  flesh- 
pots,  and  did  eat  bread  to  the  full ;  "  for  then,  as  Cicero  says,  "  the  quality  of 
our  master  would  have  graced  our  condition  as  slaves."  We  have  rights  of 
civil  society  to  restore ;  we  have  honor,  virtue,  and  religion  to  maintain ;  let 
tis  therefore  take  the  first  prudent  opportunity  to  revenge  our  wrongs,  and 


52  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

kill  those  tyrants  who  are  lurking  in  every  corner  to  spy  out  our  motions, 
and  murder  the  innocent.  Their  motto  is  to  destroy  or  be  destroyed. 
Therefore,  let  safety  rouse  us  into  action,  let  Fame  reward  the  sacred  hand 
of  him  that  gives  the  fatal  blow ;  let  his  name  live  forever  with  Cato,  and 
with  Brutus.  O,  how  I  long  to  save  my  country  by  one  heroic  immortal 
action !  but  alas !  my  chains  and  dreary  mansion,  where  the  light  of  con- 
science reigns  without  the  light  of  the  sun,  of  the  moon,  or  the  stars !  *  To 
you,  my  virtuous  countrymen,  who  are  free  of  the  chains  with  which  I  am 
loaded,  I  conclude  my  address.  It  is  now  in  your  power  to  circumcise,  to 
put  down  those  uncircumcised  tyrants,  and  to  restore  yourselves  to  your 
social  rights.  You  know  the  action  that  will  do  the  business,  and  which 
shall  register  your  names  among  the  Gods  and  bravest  men.  Patriotism 
warms  your  souls,  and  thousands  are  burning  with  ambition  to  join  and 
save  your  country  from  Romish  bondage.  Make  haste !  for  the  spirit  of 
understanding  causeth  me  to  speak  in  the  language  of  Zophar,  "  Let  death 
and  destruction  fall  upon"  Congress  "because  they  have  oppressed  and 
forgotten  the  poor ;  let  a  fire  not  blown,  consume  them ;  if  they  escape  the 
iron  weapons,  strike  them  through  with  a  bow  of  steel,  for  knowest  thou 
not  this  of  old,  since  man  was  placed  upon  earth,  that  the  triumphing  of  the 
wicked  is  short,  and  the  joy  of  the  hypocrite  but  for  a  moment." 

And  although  the  devils  are  come  down  in  great  wrath,  with  power  in 
their  mouths,  and  in  their  tails ;  although  their  heads  reach  the  clouds,  and 
though  they  do  hurt  with  their  tails ;  yet  their  murders,  their  fornication, 
and  their  thefts  shall  be  revealed,  and  the  earth  shall  rise  against  them, 
*'to  feed  them  with  the  poison  of  asps.  The  vipers  tongue  shall  pierce 
them  through,  and  their  greatness  shall  be  chased  away  as  a  vision  of  the 
night.     "  This  is  the  portion  of  the  wicked." 

Finis. 

N.  B.    The  notes  on  pp.  46,  50,  and  52,  are  by  the  author  of  the  eermon. 

The  Gospel  furnished  by  the  State. 
A  few  years  after  the  establishment  of  the  prison  by 
legislative  act,  provision  was  made  for  religions  services  one- 
haK  of  each  Sunday  by  uniting  with  the  society  at  East  Gran  by, 
in  paying  a  stipulated  salary  to  the  clergyman  officiating. 
For  many  years  the  services  were  held  in  the  nail-shop,  the 
most  refractory  of  the  prisoners  being  chained  to  their  nail 
blocks.  The  seats  of  the  general  audience  were  upon  the 
level  ground  (without  floor)  while  the  elevated  platform  used 
by  the  guards,  was  improvised  as  a  pulpit,  and  the  choir  was 

*  Vide  the  History  of  Connecticut,  page  175,  published  by  J.  Bew,  Pater  Noster  Row ; 
Where  is  a  just  description  of  the  mfemal  prison  at  Symsbury,  40  yards  below  the  soxfaoe 
of  the  earth. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  53 

composed  of  any  neighbors  who  felt  disposed  to  volunteer 
for  the  occasion. 

It  can  reasonably  be  supposed  that  the  nail-shop  preaching 
was  a  wonderful  contrast  to  the  preceeding  discourse  of  the 
Rev.  Licentiate  Baxter ;  but  Baxter's  Tory  audience  in  the 
dungeon  considered  his  preaching  sound  and  reliable,  no 
doubt, — notwithstanding  any  slight  discrepancies  in  text  or 
argument. 

A  comfortable  chapel  was  subsequently  built,  where,  each 
Sunday,  the  guards  with  their  long  muskets,  the  citizens  and 
the  prisoners  all  assembled  in  the  same  room.  No  Sunday- 
school  nor  library  for  the  prisoners'  use  ever  enlightened  the 
dismal  precincts  of  old  Newgate ;  those  blessings  were  reserved 
for  the  new  prison  at  Wethersfield. 

In  1781  Congress  applied  to  Gov.  Trumbull  of  Connecticut 
(known  by  the  appellation  of  "  Brother  Jonathan  "),  for  the 
use  of  the  mines  as  a  prison  "  for  the  reception  of  British 
prisoners  of  war,  and  for  the  purpose  of  retaliation."  The 
Governor  laid  the  matter  before  the  Assembly,  who  agreed 
to  the  proposition,  and  requested  him  to  furnish  Congress 
with  the  estimates,  but  as  a  termination  of  the  war  was 
anticipated  soon,  the  negotiation  ended. 

This  place  won  a  reputation  for  strength  and  security 
throughout  the  country,  though  there  was  more  strength  in 
its  name  than  in  reality.  Six  years  previously.  Gen.  Wash- 
ington sent  several  prisoners  to  be  confined  in  the  dungeon, 
whom  he  regarded  as  "atrocious  villains."  The  following 
letter  from  him  will  be  read  with  interest.  It  is  directed  to 
the  Committee  of  Safety  at  Simsbury : 

Cambridge,  Dec.  7th,  1775. 
Gentlemen : — The  prisoners  which  will  be  delivered  you  with  this,  having  been 
tried  by  a  court  martial  and  deemed  to  be  such  flagrant  and  atrocious  villains, 
that  they  cannot  by  any  means  be  set  at  large,  or  confined  in  any  place  near  this 
camp,  were  sentenced  to  Simsbury,  in  Connecticut.  You  will  therefore  be 
pleased  to  have  them  secured  in  your  jail,  or  in  such  other  manner  as  to  you 
shall  seem  necessary,  so  that  they  cannot  possibly  make  their  escape.  The 
charges  of  their  imprisonment  will  be  at  the  Continental  expense. 

I  am,  (fee, 

GeopwCe  Washington. 


54  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

The  vindictive  cruelty  of  the  Tories  is  shown  in  Barber's 
Historical  Collections  of  Connecticut.  The  narrative  is 
substantially  thus : 

On  the  night  following  the  14th  of  March,  1780,  the  house 
of  Capt.  Ebenezer  Dayton  then  residing  in  the  town  of 
Bethany,  was  broken  into  and  robbed  by  seven  men,  who 
were  Tories,  and  headed  by  a  British  officer,  Alex.  Graham* 
from  Long  Island.  Mr.  Dayton's  house  was  situated  nearly 
opposite  where  the  first  meeting-house  in  Bethany  was 
erected,  about  half  a  mile  south  of  the  present  Congrega- 
tional church,  and  about  ten  miles  northwest  of  New  Haven. 
The  particulars  of  this  robbery  were  obtained  from  the  Eev. 
Mr.  Dayton,  son  of  Capt.  Dayton  mentioned  above.  Mr. 
Dayton,  who  belonged  to  Long  Island,  was,  on  account  of  his 
attachment  to  the  American  cause,  obliged  to  leave  that 
island,  and  bring  his  effects  with  him  to  Bethany.  A 
number  of  men,  some  of  his  neighbors,  were  obliged  to  leave 
the  island  for  the  same  cause,  and  brought  a  considerable 
quantity  of  money  with  them,  and  for  a  while  resided  in  Mr. 
Dayton's  house.  With  these  facts  the  robbers  appear  to 
have  become  acquainted.  At  the  time  of  the  robbery,  Mr. 
Dayton  was  absent  on  business  at  Boston,  and  the  men  who 
had  been  staying  in  the  house  had  left  the  day  before,  so 
that  there  was  no  one  in  the  house  but  his  wife,  Mrs.  Phoebe 
Dayton,  three  small  children,  and  two  colored  servant  children. 

About  midnight,  while  they  were  all  asleep,  the  w^indow 
in  the  bedroom  where  Mrs.  Dayton  was  sleeping,  was  burst 
in  at  once  ;  seven  armed  men  rushed  in,  passed  through  the 
room,  and  immediately  rushed  into  the  chambers,  expecting 
(it  is  supposed)  to  find  the  men  who  had  left  the  day  before. 
While  they  were  upstairs,  Mrs.  Dayton  went  to  the  front 
part  of  the  house,  raised  the  window,  and  endeavored  to 
alarm  the  neighbors.     Mr.  Hawley,  the  minister  of  the  parish, 

*  Graham,  it  was  afterwards  ascertained,  was  a  deserter,  from  the  American 
army  and  also  held  a  commission  from  the  British  general,  Howe,  to  recruit 
Tories  for  the  British  army.  On  searching  him  the  commission  was  found 
in  his  pocket,  to  which  also  he  made  confession. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  55 

and  Dr.  Hooker,  the  physician  of  the  place,  both  lived  within 
twenty  rods  distance,  both  had  lights  in  their  houses  at  the 
time,  and  both  heard  the  alarm,  but  did  not  know  from 
whence  it  proceeded.  The  robbers,  hearing  Mrs.  Dayton, 
came  down,  and  tearing  a  sheet  into  strips,  tied  her  hands 
behind  her,  made  her  sit  in  a  chair,  and  placed  her  infant 
(about  six  months  old)  in  her  lap,  while  one  of  the  robbers, 
placing  the  muzzle  of  his  gun  near  her  head,  kept  her  in 
this  position  for  about  two  hours,  while  the  house  was 
thoroughly  ransacked  from  top  to  bottom.  As  Mr.  Dayton 
had  been  a  merchant  and  peddler,  a  large  quantity  of  goods 
were  found  and  the  most  valuable  packed  in  sacks  and 
bundles.  Most  of  the  articles  were  of  foreign  production, — 
worsted  goods,  coats,  cloaks,  ladies'  gowns,  silk  and  linen 
handkerchiefs,  various  kinds  of  linen  goods,  silver  shoe- 
buckles,  a  spy-glass,  two  muskets  and  their  accoutrements, 
four  halberds,  (a  pike  with  hatchet  near  the  point),  etc., 
besides  four  hundred  and  fift}^  pounds  in  gold,  silver,  and 
copper  coin,  and  two  hundred  Continental  paper-dollars. 

To  appease  their  hunger,  they  ordered  the  servants  to  place 
upon  the  table  in  the  kitchen  the  best  which  the  kitchen  and 
pantry  afforded;  which  orders  were  obeyed  in  silence  under 
close  surveillance  of  the  robbers. 

Some  of  them  secured  a  light  and  went  into  the  cellar, 
where  they  found  abundance  of  liquors  which  they  let  out 
upon  the  ground  after  supplying  their  own  needs.  What 
they  could  not  conveniently  carry  off  they  wantonly  destroyed, 
breaking  in  pieces  all  the  crockery,  furniture,  etc.  The 
whole  amount  of  property  carried  off  and  destroyed,  including 
bonds,  notes,  etc.,  amounted  to  five  thousand  pounds.  The 
robbers  left  the  house  about  two  o'clock,  and  went  to  a  place 
in  Middlebury,  called  Gunn-Town,  where  they  were  secreted 
in  a  cellar  by  a  family  who  were  friendly  to  the  British 
cause.  While  they  were  on  their  way  to  Gunn-Town,  they 
met  a  young  man   by   the   name   of  Chauncey   Judd,*   of 


•  The  biographer  of  Chauncey  Judd,   in   describing  the   sufferings  he 


56  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

Waterbury,  on  a  bridge,  who  had  been  to  see  a  young  lady 
be  afterwards  married.  Fearing  he  might  discover  them 
they  took  him  along  with  them.  In  the  cellar  kitchen  where 
they  were  all  secreted  there  was  a  well.  Into  this  well 
they  talked  of  putting  young  Chauncey  ;  but  the  old  lady 
of  the  house  begged  they  would  not  think  of  it,  as  it  would 
spoil  the  water  !  They  stayed  in  the  house  a  number  of  days : 
afterwards  they  went  to  Oxford,  where  they  were  secreted 
for  several  days  longer  in  a  barn ;  from  thence  they  went  to 
Stratford,  took  a  whale-boat,  and  crossed  over  to  Long  Island. 
The  people  at  Derby,  having  received  information  of  their 
passing  through  that  place,  two  whale-boats  and  crews, 
commanded  by  Capt.  William  Clarke  and  Capt  James  Harvey, 
pursued  them  to  the  Island,  and  were  fortunate  enough  to 
catch  all  of  them  but  one,  just  within  the  British  lines,  and 
recover  their  booty.  They  were  brought  back,  tried,  and 
condemned.  Graham  the  ringleader  was  executed  and  the 
others  were  sent  to  Newgate ;  they,  however,  broke  prison, 
and  some  of  them  fled  to  Nova  Scotia. 

Among  the  robbers  who  plundered  Mr.  Dayton's  house, 
was  a  Tory  by  the  name  of  Henry  Wooster,  who  was  sentenced 
by  the  Superior  Court  of  New  Haven  county,  to  pay  a  fine 
of  fifty  pounds,  and  to  be  imprisoned  four  years  in  Newgate. 
From  an  interesting  account  written  of  him  by  an  acquaint- 
ance of  the  family,  it  appears  that  after  his  confinement  in 
pri&on,  he  made  a  key  which  would  unlock  his  fetters  in 
the  cavern,  being  careful,  of  course,  to  replace  them  before 


endured  while  in  the  hands  of  the  banditti  says  :  "He  had  endured  hard- 
ships which  were  enough  to  crush  one  much  stronger  than  he.  Indeed  he 
was  for  several  days  partially  insane.  The  shock  to  his  nervous  system  from 
the  repeated  imminent  prospect  of  death  increased  by  his  severe  bodily 
sufferings  had  completely  broken  him  down.  Often  would  he  awake  from  a 
sort  of  stupor  and  cry  *'  Hurrah  for  King  George !  "  (having  been  compelled 
to  say  so  by  his  captors).  During  their  flight  down  the  river  and  across  the 
Sound  he  had  been  wholly  unprotected  from  the  wind,  and  had  almost 
perished  from  the  cold,  his  hands  had  been  frost  bitten,  and  some  of  his 
fingers  remained  crippled  for  life.  He  never  recovered  from  the  effects  of 
his  hardships,  but  continued  in  delicate  health  until  his  death. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  57 

going  up  to   his  work  each   morning.      The   writer   says: 

"  One  of  the  first  things  he  attempted  was  to  make  thorough  exposition  of 
the  caverns,  to  see  if  there  was  any  possible  way  of  escape.  For  this  purpose 
he  forced  himself  into  one  of  the  drains  which  discharged  the  waters  of  the 
mine.  This,  after  the  use  of  the  mines  as  a  prison,  had  been  carefully  built  up 
with  stone  and  mortar,  leaving  only  a  narrow  channel  which  was  supposed  to  be 
thoroughly  secured  by  iron  bars.  Watching  opportunities,  he  contrived  to 
conceal  in  his  clothes,  fragments  of  nail-rods,  and  carry  them  below.  With 
these  he  picked  out  little  by  little,  bits  of  mortar,  until  the  bars  were  loosened 
so  as  to  permit  their  removal ;  in  the  same  way  he  enlarged  the  drain  in  some 
of  its  narrowest  places,  and  after  many  weeks  of  hard  toil,  found  himself  near 
the  outer  orifice.  Redoubled  exertions  followed,  in  which  he  was  aided  as  far 
as  possible  by  other  convicts  who  had  the  use  of  their  hands.  It  was  a  hard  and 
dangerous  task.  At  one  time  while  far  within,  he  gave  himself  up  for  lost.  A 
stone  overhead  which  he  had  partially  loosened  fell  into  the  drain  behind  him, 
eflfectnally  closing  the  passage  and  debarring  his  return.  Unable  to  turn  round 
or  reach  the  stone  with  his  hands,  he  concluded  that  his  last  hour  was  come, 
and  that  he  must  perish  in  his  terrible  prison  I  His  cries  for  help  could  scarcely 
be  heard  by  the  other  convicts,  and  if  heard,  it  was  doubtful  whether  they  could 
relieve  him.  With  great  efibrt,  however,  he  found  he  could  push  the  stone  a 
little  with  his  foot.  But  would  it  pass  the  whole  distance  ?  for  if  there  was  one 
single  place  in  the  passage  too  small,  he  would  be  inextricably  shut  in.  By  bracing 
himself  against  the  sides  and  pressing  with  all  his  strength,  he  succeeded  at 
length  in  pushing  the  stone  to  a  hollow  spot,  which  would  permit  him  to  pass 
over  it.  With  desperate  energy  he  crowded  himself  by,  and  at  last  emerged 
inro  the  cavern  just  before  the  daybreak  bell  sounded  to  call  the  prisoners  to 
their  labor.  He  had  been  in  the  drain  all  night,  and  came  forth  bleeding  and 
nearly  exhausted.  He  was  obliged  to  conceal  his  suffering  condition  from  the 
guard,  otherwise  it  would  lead  to  a  search  and  exposure ;  so  replacing  with  the 
help  of  his  comrades  his  irons  aud  clothing,  (for  he  had  gone  into  the  drain 
naked)  he  dragged  himself  up  the  ladder  to  his  work.  If  his  bruised  and 
haggard  condition  was  noticed  at  all  by  the  officers,  it  excited  no  remark,  the 
evidences  of  fighting  and  sleeplessness  being  too  common  among  the  prisoners 
to  awaken  any  suspicion. 

"A  few  nights  afterwards,  having  somewhat  recovered  from  his  bruises  and 
sufferings,  it  was  deemed  practicable  to  escape,  and  Woosterwith  several  others 
who  were  able  to  unfasten  their  fetters  succeeded  in  crawling  through  the 
passage  and  fled  to  the  woods  an  hour  before  day.  Their  escape  was  soon  dis- 
covered and  the  alarm  given.  Nearly  all  were  re- taken  and  brought  back  to 
prison.  Wooster  more  tricky,  hid  himself  in  the  top  of  a  dark  hemlock  upon  the 
mountain  until  the  next  night,  when  he  began  his  flight,  and  finally  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  coast  near  New  London,  and  made  his  way  on  board  an  English 
vessel,  where  he  enlisted  in  the  British  service.  ***•**♦  Four  years 
after  the  termination  of  the  war,  one  day  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  a  traveller 
came  to  the  house  of  Henry  Wooster,  Sen.,  in  Derby,  and  asked  permission  to 
lodge  there  that  night.  He  was  weary  and  footsore,  he  said,  and  could  go  no 
further.  Hospitality  in  such  cases  was  a  habit  of  New  England,  and  his 
request  was  granted.  Mrs.  Wooster  was  then  engaged  in  preparing  a  kettle  of 
hasty-pudding  for  the  family  supper,  and  at  her  invitation  the  traveller  partook 
of  the  repasL.    In  the  course  of  it,  he  contrived  to  turn  the  conversation  upon 


58  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

her  own  family,  and  especially  of  her  ahgent  son.  She  recounted  with  a  mother's 
partiality  his  amiable  qualities,  his  manly  strength  and  agility.  Won  by  the 
interest  he  seemed  to  manifest  in  her  story,  she  bewailed  the  sad  occasion  of 
his  falling  in  with  a  stranger  who  had  persuaded  him  to  go  oS  on  a  foolish 
expedition  as  she  said,  against  a  piratical  Yankee^  and  that  in  consequence,  he 
got  into  Newgate  prison,  but  after  a  while  he  with  others  broke  out,  since 
which  she  had  heard  nothing  from  him  and  presumed  he  must  be  dead. 

"  At  length,  after  hearing  the  sad  story  of  the  good  woman  the  traveller  assumed 
his  natural  speech  and  manner  and  announced  himself  as  her  missing  son  !  At 
first  she  was  incredulous,  and  unable  to  recognize  him,  till  opening  the  bosom 
of  his  shirt  he  showed  her  a  mark  on  his  breast.  This  well-remembered  mark 
convinced  her  of  his  identity.  She  fell  on  his  neck  and  like  the  father  of  the 
prodigal,  wept  tears  of  joy  over  her  long-lost  boy." 

Old  I^ewgate  Prison. 

"  With  flickering  candle  down  the  dread  descent, 
To  darkest  depths  I  slowly  make  my  way ; 
The  aged  ladder  creaks  from  many  a  rent, 
And  spirit-voices  of  a  former  day 
In  murmuring  whispers  warn  of  dangers  there ; 
Of  unseen  Furies  who  with  silent  tread 
Will  lead  me  on  to  labyrinthal  snare 
Where  none  escape,  but  number  with  the  dead." 

Kewgate  was  at  this  time  used  by  the  State  for  the  con- 
finement of  criminals,  and  they  were  kept  chiefly  at  work  in 
making  wrought  nails.  It  was  not  until  1790  that  it  was 
established  permanently  as  a  State  prison.  It  is  said  to  have 
been  the  design  to  employ  the  convicts  in  working  the  mines, 
which  for  a  while  was  practiced,  but  it  was  soon  found  that 
they  must  necessarily  have  for  that  work,  precisely  the  right 
kind  of  tools  for  digging  out,  and  they  several  times  used 
them  for  that  purpose.  This  reason,  with  the  consequent 
necessity  of  keeping  so  strong  a  guard,  both  day  and  night, 
finally  induced  them  to  abandon  the  employment.  In  1790 
an  act  was  passed  constituting  Newgate  a  permanent  prison, 
and  providing  for  the  erection  of  the  necessary  buildings. 

The  expense  was  limited  by  legislative  act  to  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pounds.  The  overseers  were  authorized  to 
make  the  works  very  secure ;  to  appoint  a  keeper  and  a  guard 
not  exceeding  ten  persons — which  number  was  afterwards 
increased  to  seventeen.  After  this  a  better  system  of 
management  was  pursued  until  the  convicts  were  removed  to 
the  new  prison  at  Wethersfield. 


NEWGATE  OP  CONNECTICUT.  59 

A  wooden  palisade,  mounted  with  iron  spikes,  was  con- 
structed, inclosing  half  an  acre  of  ground,  within  which, 
workshops  and  otlier  buildings  were  placed,  and  a  deep  trench 
was  opened  on  the  western  side.  The  wooden  enclosure 
remained  until  1S02,  when  a  strong  stone-wall  twelve  feet 
high,  was  laid  in  its  place,  which  is  now  standing.  A  brick 
building  was  erected  in  the  centre  of  the  yard  for  the  officers 
and  privates,  in  the  rear  and  lower  part  of  which  a  stone 
apartment  was  afterwards  constructed  directly  over  the 
mouth  of  the  cavern,  and  in  this  room  the  most  quiet  pris- 
oners were  occasionally  kept.  This  was  denominated  the 
''  stone  jug." 

About  the  year  1815,  a  building  nearly  fifty  feet  long,  was 
erected  on  the  southeast  corner  of  the  yard.  The  lower 
story  was  occasionally  used  for  cells,  and  the  upper  one  for 
a  chapel,  where  services  were  usually  held  once  a  day  on  Sun- 
days. Another  building  adjoining  next  west,  the  lower  story 
of  which  was  used  as  a  cooper  shop,  hospital,  and  kitchen,  and 
the  upper  as  a  shoemaker's  shop.  In  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  yard,  another  building  was  used  as  a  wagon-shop.  Eight 
or  nine  years  later  a  large  building  of  stone  and  brick  was 
put  up  on  the  west  side  of  the  yard,  and  a  tread-mill,  for 
grinding  grain,  was  constructed  in  it,  principally  by  labor  of 
the  convicts.  Cells  were  provided  in  this  building  for  female 
prisoners,  and  rooms  for  officers,  &c. 

The  passage  down  the  shaft  into  the  caverns,  is  upon  a 
ladder  fastened  upon  one  side,  and  resting  on  the  bottom. 
At  the  foot  of  this  passage  commences  a  gradual  descent  for 
a  considerable  distance,  all  around  being  solid  massive  rock 
or  ore.  The  passages  extend  many  rods  in  difierent  direct- 
tions,  some  of  them  even  leading  under  the  cellars  of  the 
dwellings  in  the  neighborhood.  In  two  of  the  passages  are 
deep  wells  of  water,  one  of  which  is  eighty  feet  from  the 
surface ;  they  served  for  a  free  circulation  of  air  to  the  inmates 
of  this  gloomy  place,  and  were  sometimes  used  for  shafts 
through  which  to  lift  the  ore,  when  the  business  was  carried 
on.     On  the  sides  and  niches  of  the  cavern,  cabins  were 


60  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

built  of  heavy  planks,  within  which  straw  was  placed  for 
their  beds.  The  prisoners  were  locked  in  them  each  night, 
but  frequently  in  their  carousals,  they  would  break  or  un- 
fasten the  locks  and  tear  their  cabins  to  pieces.  The  horrid 
gloom  of  this  dungeon  can  be  realized  only  by  those  who 
pass  among  its  solitary  windings.  The  impenetrable  vastness 
supporting  the  awful  mass  above,  impending  as  if  ready  to 
crush  one  to  atoms:  the  dripping  water  trickling  like  tears 
from  its  sides ;  the  unearthly  echoes  responding  to  the  voice, 
all  conspire  to  strike  the  beholder  aghast  with  amazement 
and  horror.  These  caverns  and  their  precincts,  from  their 
antiquity,  and  the  dramas  which  have  been  performed  in  and 
around  them,  will  long  be  considered  a  classic  place. 

The  caverns  have  generally  been  extremely  favorable  to 
the  health  and  longevity  of  the  occupants,  which  is  attributed 
to  some  medical  quality  in  the  mineral  rock.  It  is  a  curious 
fact,  that  many  of  the  convicts  having  previously  taken  the 
itch,  or  other  loathsome  diseases,  while  confined  in  the  coun- 
ty jails,  which  were  very  filthy,  on  being  for  a  few  weeks 
kept  in  the  caverns  at  night,  entirely  uncovered ;  and  it  is 
perhaps  still  more  strange,  that  those  who  came  apparently 
in  health,  generally  had  for  a  short  time  cutaneous  eruptions, 
which  appeared  to  work  out  of  their  blood. 

A  writer  upon  the  subject  observes : 

*'From  the  various  windings  and  other  causes,  it  is  not  cold  there,  even  in 
the  severest  weather ;  and  strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  has  been  satisfactorily 
ascertained,  that  the  mercury  ranged  eight  degrees  lower  in  the  lodging  apart- 
ments of  the  prisoners  in  the  warmest  days  of  summer,  than  it  does  in  the 
coldest  in  the  winter.  This  phenomenon  is  attributed  to  the  circumstance  of 
the  cavities  in  the  rocks  being  stopped  with  snow,  ice,  and  frost  in  the  winter, 
which  prevents  so  free  a  circulation  of  air  as  is  enjoyed  in  the  summer.  On  the 
18th  of  January  1811,  at  eight  o'clock  A.  M.,  the  mercury  stood  in  the  cavern 
at  fifty-two  degrees ;  and  in  the  open  air,  as  soon  after  as  it  was  practicable  for  a 
person  to  get  up  from  the  cavern  (which  could  not  have  exceeded  five  minutes), 
it  fell  to  one  degree  below  0." 

A  newspaper  correspondent  relates  his  adventures  in  the 
caverns  as  follows : — 

*'  The  wall  with  its  brick  bastion  and  guardhouse,  6x6,  and  12  feet  high,  the 
latter  seated  like  a  marten-box  on  the  former,  peeped  through  the  trees  suddenly. 
It  has  stood  almost  three-quarters  of  a  century.    On  the  stone  above  the  gat« 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  ^1 

that  looks  east  at  the  black  curtain  of  the  mountain,  are  engraved  the  syllables 
"Newgate,  1801."  * 

The  sentry-box  and  bastion  1  have  described  project  so  as  to  command  the 
grated  windows  in  the  south  wall.  The  enclosure  is  square  and  contains  about 
two  acres.  It  stands  square  with  the  sun.  On  the  west  the  mountain  is  terraced 
up  to  the  prison,  yielding  three  precipices  of  25  feet  in  height,  and  rendering 
escape  possible  only  by  three  desperate  break-neck  leaps  after  scaling  the  main 
wall.  On  the  west  a  deep  moat  doubles  the  danger.  To  the  south  wall  clings 
the  long  stone  building  occupied  by  the  guards  and  the  workshops,  whose  guns 
commanded  the  whole  length  of  masonry  on  the  east.  The  wooden  roof  and 
the  floors  are  warped  and  shrunken,  but  the  iron  rings  and  staples  in  the  wall 
have  rusted  very  little  since  desperate  men  set  them  clanking  with  every  stir  of 
their  ankles. 

Sam  and  1  stood  lor  halt  a  minute  peering  down  into  the  dark,  and  said  noth- 
ing.   Sam  tested  the  wooden  ladder  with  his  hand. 

"I'll  try  it  first,  I'm  the  lighter,"  said  1,  dropping  down  out  of  sight  with  a 
leap.     "  Stay  here  till  I  call." 

After  descending  about  fifty  feet  I  found  myself  at  the  bottom  of  the  shaft 
with  Sam's  face  peering  in  at  the  top  like  a  portrait  set  in  a  square  frame. 

"Solid  ground,"  I  shouted  up  the  ladder.  The  light  was  shut  out  suddenly, 
and  Sam  began  the  descent.  Lighting  the  candles  and  leaving  one  of  them  in  a 
crevice  at  the  foot  of  the  shaft,  at  Sam's  instance,  I  took  the  other  and  led  the 
way  down  a  series  of  stone  steps,  thirty  or  forty  in  number,  dipping  away  to 
the  east  under  the  mountain.  The  roof  was  very  low,  and  the  candle  gave  so 
little  light,  that  I  was  compelled  to  feel  my  way  forward  with  my  walking-stick. 
Here,  after  following  several  galleries  till  they  ended  in  solid  rock,  I  finally 
struck  the  right  one,  and  groped  forward  twenty  or  thirty  feet  into  the  caverns 
— an  irregular  series  of  galleries,  where  the  prisoners  used  to  sleep,  and  where 
old  Prince  the  negro  who  had  once  been  servant  to  an  officer  under  Gen. 
Washington,  died  shackled  to  the  wall,  and  rotted  where  he  died.  The  old 
man  was  too  decrepit  to  work,  and  was  hence  not  looked  after  by  the  prison 
officials.*  A  considerable  excavation  has  taken  place  at  this  point,  resulting  in 
a  central  cavern  bristling  with  nooks  in  the  rock  of  somewhat  irregular  depth. 
These  were  used  as  sleeping-places  by  the  prisoners,  and  still  exhibited  the  re- 
mains of  bunks. 

Striking  a  gallery  leading  northeast,  and  still  dipping  under  the  mountain,  I 
followed  on,  candle  in  hand,  bumping  my  head  against  the  roof,  now  and  then, 
and  feeling  my  way  step  by  step  with  my  walking-stick.  The  water  dropped 
from  the  roof ;  the  floor  tipped  on  the  east  until  the  water  was  more  than  ankle- 
deep  ;  the  candle  burned  dimly  and  spluttered.  A  single  drop  of  water  might 
at  any  moment  have  extinguished  it. 

By  and  by,  gleamed  in  the  distance  something  like  watei  with  the  light  falling 
upon  it  from  above,  and  Sam  and  I  staggered  on,  expecting  at  every  step  to  get 
a  ducking,  and  liable  to  it  with  the  merest  unlucky  slip  of  the  foot.  A  slimy 
ooze  covered  the  floor  on  the  west  side  of  the  gallery,  and  our  feet  squashed  at 
every  step  and  clung  to  the  mud  like  plasters.  After  crawling  about  thirty  feet 
in  this  way,  our  progress  was  barred  by  a  sheet  of  water  about  twenty  feet  in 
breadth.    Sounding  it  with  my  walking-stick,  and  finding  it  too  deep  to  be 


♦Prince  never  was  shackled,  bnt  waa  a  harmlees  old  negro,  and  during  all  the  last 
years  of  his  life  enjoyed  the  freedom  of  the  prison. 


62  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

waded,  I  took  my  bearings  and  retraced  my  steps,  with  a  view  to  find  the  hun. 
dred-foot  shaft,  famous  in  traditions  of  the  prison  as  the  spot  where  the  tory  in 
revolutionary  days,  tried  to  escape  by  climbing  out  on  a  rope,  and  fell  nearly  a 
hundred  feet  from  the  top  to  the  bottom.  He  had  spent  his  last  $50  in  bribing 
a  neighbor  to  unfasten  the  trap — there  was  no  wall  in  those  days — with  what 
avail  they  tell  you  as  an  evidence  that  God  strongly  disapproved  of  tories. 

Once  more  in  the  main  cavern,  after  testing  several  galleries  of  from  ten  to 
thirty  feet  in  length,  I  finally  worked  east  and  down  until  my  walking-stick, 
with  which  I  felt  my  way  like  a  blind  man  with  his  stafi",  encountered  no  floor, 
and  the  faintest  possible  glimmer  of  light  filtered  in  from  above.  Here  was  a 
perpendicular  jump  of  ten  teet,  and  a  bar  upon  which  the  prisoners  were  in  the 
habit  of  swinging  themselves  down  into  the  gallery  leading  away  to  the 
southeast. 

This  shaft  is  round,  and  terminates  at  the  top  just  within  the  gate  by  the  east 
wall,  twenty  feet  from  the  workshop.  It  is  a  trifle  over  a  hundred  feet  deep,  I 
should  say,  and  was  formerly  furnished  with  a  rope  and  windlass  for  lifting  out 
the  ore.  The  rope  still  dangles  loosely  from  the  top,  but  the  remaining  appur- 
tenances have  been  removed. 

As  it  was  impracticable  to  drop  into  the  gallery  at  this  point,  Sam  suggested 
that  the  exploration  should  be  abandoned ;  but,  having  retraced  twenty  feet  or 
more.  I  detected  a  gallery  pushing  to  the  southeast  at  an  acute  angle,  and  turned 
into  it,  Sam  consenting  to  wait  at  the  comer  till  I  came  back.  This  tunnel 
strikes  the  one  out  of  which  the  main  shaft  opens  about  twenty  feet  to  the 
south,  by  a  gradual  but  exceedingly  rapid  and  risky  descent.  So  I  found  myself 
at  last  at  the  deepest  point  in  the  mine,  in  the  tunnel  terminating  in  that  fatal 
drain,  where  still  lie  the  bonesof  prisoners  who  tried  to  escape  by  that  desperate 
route,  and  died  at  dead  of  night  away  under  the  mountain,  self-buried,  but 
cofllned  in  solid  rock.* 

I  followed  this  tunnel,  which  was  a  trifle  higher  in  the  roof  than  the  rest,  till 
the  water  was  too  deep  to  admit  of  penetrating  further.  Water  dripped  from 
the  roof,  from  the  walls.  As  I  turned  a  drop  struck  the  wick  of  the  candle,  and 
it  spluttered  and  went  out,  leaving  me  in  a  perfect  darkness  such  as  a  man  never 
experiences  above  ground.  A  little  nervous  I  groped  back,  feeling  for  the  first 
gallery  to  the  left  with  my  walking-stick,  and  stricken  with  a  sudden  fear,  that  I 
might  have  passed  others  unconsciously  on  my  route,  and  might  turn  into  the 
wrong  one  on  my  way  back.  It  did  not  occur  to  me  to  shout  to  Sam,  who  was 
waiting  for  me  not  twenty  rods  off,  till  a  sharp  "  come  on ! "  away  to  the  south- 
west enabled  me  to  take  my  bearings  and  calculate  my  distances. 

"Yes,  directly;  but  my  candle's  out,"  I  shouted,  groping  forward  for  ten  or 
fifteen  minutes,  till  my  walking-stick  indicated  a  break  in  the  wall  at  the  left. 
Here  I  shouted  again,  and  was  answered  almost  at  my  ear,  Sam  having  felt  his 
way  down  the  gallery  almost  to  its  junction  with  the  tunnel. 

It  was  impossible  to  sit  down,  so  our  council  of  war  had  to  be  held  standing. 
There  were  still  difllculties  to  be  encountered,  and  not  the  least  one  of  theiu 
was  imaginary.  The  candle  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  could  not  last  many  min- 
utes longer,  for  an  hour  at  least  must  have  elapsed  since  our  descent.  To  the 
left,  then  to  the  right,  then  to  the  left  again,  in  the  general  direction  of  the 
gallery  into  which  I  had  just  turned,  was  agreed  upon  in  council  as  the  nearest 


*  Another  fable,  having  a  very  Blight  foundation  in  the  fact  that  several  convicts  did 
epcape  by  that  route ;— bnt  they  all  took  their  own  bones  with  them. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  63 

way  out,  but  in  a  route  encumbered  with  abandoned  galleries,  there  was  no 
knowiug  how  many  might  have  to  be  tried  before  hitting  the  right  one.  How- 
ever, it  was  useless  to  dawdle  over  that  question,  when  the  candle  at  the  foot 
of  the  ladder  might  be  going  out. 

So,  taking  the  front,  I  laid  my  walking-stick  horizontally  against  the  wall, 
faced  myself  by  it  at  right  angles  so  as  to  look  straight  ahead,  and  groped  along, 
muttering  to  myself  that  this  must  have  been  a  rare  place  for  a  state  prison,  and 
conjuring  up  German  stories  of  cobolds  ;  or  if,  as  the  mining  ballad  runs, 

"  The  ghosts  of  mining  men 
Revisit  earth  again, 
And  make  old  mines  their  den," 

imagining  spectral  miners,  and  converting  the  trickle  of  water  from  the  roof 
into  the  click  of  invisible  implements. 

A  thud  of  my  shoulder  against  something  hard  shook  me  out  of  my  reverie 
or  my  reverie  out  of  me,  and  putting  out  my  hand  1  found  it  to  be  a  wooden 
prop  supporting  the  roof.  I  had  noticed  three  or  four  of  them  in  the  main 
cavern — or  congeries  of  galleries  terminating  in  a  central  space — and  this  re- 
assured me.  Asking  Sam  to  keep  exactly  in  my  tracks  by  putting  his  hands  on 
my  shoulders,  I  started  due  north  as  near  as  I  could,  waving  my  walking-stick 
to  and  fro  in  front  of  me,  so  as  to  develop  any  obstacle  in  the  way  before  I 
bumped  against  it;  for  it  was  now  impracticable  to  follow  by  the  wall  without 
doubling  at  least  half  a  dozen  abandoned  galleries  varying  in  length  from  ten  to 
thirty  feet,  while,  by  stumbling  directly  across  the  central  cavern  the  entrance 
to  the  gallery  leading  westward  and  upward  to  the  foot  of  the  ladder  would  be 
intercepted,  and  if  the  candle  had  gone  out,  it  was  possible  that  light  enough 
might  sift  down  through  the  fifty-foot  shaft,  though  enclosed  at  the  top,  to 
furnish  a  clue  to  its  position.  So  Sam  and  I  stumbled  on,  hoping  to  get  out  in 
a  few  minutes,  but  a  little  nervous  and  shaky  in  our  voices  with  the  possibility 
of  having  to  stay  under  ground.  And  I,  for  one,  was  growing  a  little  drowsy 
for  want  of  oxygen,  and  a  trifle  hungry  besides. 

I  had  nearly  passed  the  entrance  to  the  upward  dipping  tunnel,  when  Sam 
called  attention  to  a  kind  of  cloud  of  light  at  its  end.  The  candle  was  out ;  but 
now  the  route  was  direct,  and  if  the  kind  of  cloud  indicated  the  bottom  of  the 
shaft,  there  was  an  end  to  all  apprehension.  I  turned  and  blundered  up  an  in- 
clined plane  till  my  foot  struck  a  stone  step,  succeeded  by  another,  as  I  ascer- 
tained with  my  walking-stick.  It  grew  momentarily  a  little  lighter,  and  fancies 
of  cobold  and  miner's  ghost  flitted  from  my  brain  as  stealthily  as  they  had  come. 
It  would  be  poetic  perhaps,  to  say  that  they  folded  their  tent  like  the  Arabs  in 
Mr.  Longfellow's  ballad,  and  silently  stole  away,  were  it  not  that  ghosts  and 
cobolds  are  not  reputed  to  live  in  tents,  though  very  nomadic  in  their  habits. 

"  So  this  was  the  Connecticut  state  prison  from  1774  to  1827,"  quoth  I,  as  I 
scrambled  up  the  ladder  after  Sam  had  disappeared  above  ground. 

Among  the  accidents  which  have  occnred  to  visitors,  was 
that  of  Mrs.  Christia  Griswold  of  Poquonock,  who  while 
standing  at  the  mouth  of  the  shaft  leading  down  into  the 
cavern,  accidentally  stepped  off,  and  fell  the  whole  depth, 
striking  on  the  rocky  bottom.     The  buoyancy  of  her  clothes, 


64  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

or  some  other  cause,  saved  her  life,  though  she  received  inju- 
ries from  which  she  never  recovered.  A  prisoner  afterwards 
fell  at  the  same  place,  fetters  and  all,  without  appearing  to 
injure  him,  it  is  said,  in  the  least. 

A  few  years  since  a  party  of  students  were  on  a  visit  to 
the  mines,  when  one  of  their  number  stepped  into  the  shaft, 
and  fell  to  the  bottom,  receiving  injuries  which  caused  his 
death  in  a  few  months.  The  descent  upon  the  ladder  is  now 
accomplished  by  any  one,  and  the  trouble  is  well  repaid  by 
the  interesting  relics  below.  When  Newgate  was  in  full 
blast,  it  was  a  very  popular  place  of  resort  for  travellers  and 
pleasure  parties,  as  from  a  report  of  the  overseers  in  1810, 
it  appears  that  about  5,400  persons  visited  the  place  annually. 

The  original  manuscript  of  that  report  is  now  in  possession 
of  the  author,  written  by  Judge  Samuel  Woodruff,  in  1810, 
he  at  that  time  being  one  of  the  overseers ;  and  the  following 
are  extracts  from  some  of  his  replies  to  certain  questions 
propounded  by  a  legislative  committee : 

"Atw.  to  question  2nd. — Health  generally  good  when  committed.  A  few 
afflicted  with  chronic  complaints  and  perhaps  one  in  nine  or  ten  sorely  afflicted 
with  the  veneral  disease.  One-third  or  more  of  the  latter  class  have  been  cured. 
*  *  *  With  respect  to  cleanliness ;  when  committed,  the  greater  part  come 
dirty,  and  at  least  one-fifth  part  covered  with  vermin.  Much  pains  is  taken  to 
clean  them  of  the  vermin  which  could  and  would  be  effected  were  it  not  for  the 
frequent  recruits  from  the  county  prisons. 

Ans.  to  question  Srd. — The  price  of  a  ration  is  9cts.  5m.  The  component  parts 
of  a  ration,  lib.  of  beef  or  3-41b.  of  pork  at  4cts  5m.;  lib.  of  bread  or  flour,  at 
Sets.;  3  gills  of  peas  or  beans,  or  21bs.  of  potatoes,  and  3  pints  of  cider  at  2cts. 
In  the  summer  the  prisoners  are  supplied  occasionally  with  greens,  collected  by 
the  guard  without  expense  to  the  State.  The  prisoners  for  two  or  three  years 
past  were  fed  with  soup  as  often  as  one  day  in  four,  but  on  account  of  their 
universal  dislike  to  it,  they  have  been  fed  on  soup  for  the  last  year,  but  one  day  in 
seven.  This  soup  is  composed  of  a  ration  made  of  3-41b.  of  beef  2  lbs.  potatoes 
with  a  suitable  quantity  of  Indian  meal  to  thicken  it. 

Ans.  to  question  ith. — The  winter  clothing  for  prisoners  consists  of  2  check 
flannel  shirts,  a  short  coat,  1  pair  pants  of  homemade  cloth,  2  pairs  of  woolen 
stockings  and  one  pair  shoes.  Their  summer  clothing  consists  of  a  change  of 
tow-cloth  frocks  and  trousers,  with  stockings  and  shoes.  Their  shirts,  summer 
frocks,  trousers,  and  stockings,  are  shifted  and  washed  once  a  week,  and  are 
boiled  in  strong  lye  made  of  ashes  which  effectually  destroys  the  vermin. 

Ans.  to  question  5th. — The  prisoners  are  lodged  in  huts  or  cabins  made  in  the 
cavern.  They  are  built  on  a  floor  elevated  three  feet  above  the  ground,  and  are 
ranged  on  each  side  of  a  space  which  lies  between  them.  The  roofs  and  outer 
sides  of  these  cabins  are  made  close  and  tight  with  boards.    The  berths  in  these 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  65 

cabins  are  plentifully  supplied  with  blankets,  and  generally  with  straw  when  the 
prisoners  wish  it.     The  straw  is  shifted  as  often  as  is  necessary. 

-4ns.  to  question  6th. — The  prisoners  are  secured  by  iron  fetters  round  their 
uakles.  While  at  work  a  chain  fastened  to  a  block  is  locked  into  these  fetters, 
or  round  the  ankle.  For  the  more  daring  and  refractory,  heavier  chains  are 
occasionally  used. 

Ans.  to  question  9th. — No  allowance  is  made  to  those  prisoners  who  do  more 
than  their  daily  task.  Formerly  an  allowance,  of  one  penny  on  each  pound 
of  nails  over  the  daily  task,  was  allowed.  But  this  practice  for  several  years 
past  has  been  discontinued  ;  it  was  found  this  allowance  induced  them  to  slight 
their  work,  and  to  steal  nails  from  each  other  at  the  forges." 

It  further  appears  by  the  above  report,  that  the  number  of 
prisoners  at  that  time  was  forty-six.  The  description  of  the 
rations  as  given  would  not  indicate  a  very  high  state  of  cul- 
inary art ;  but  however  unsavory  the  qualities  of  that  "  soup," 
the  cider  was  probably  deemed  a  sufficient  compensation  for 
both  that  and  the  vermin. 

By  some,  this  place  has  been  compared  to  the  ancient 
Bastile  of  France,  but  the  comparison  is  far  from  being  cor- 
rect, except  in  the  frightful  emotions  which  this  dungeon  is 
calculated  to  inspire.  The  floors  and  the  roof  of  the  Bastile 
were  made  of  iron  plates  riveted  upon  iron  bars.  The  walls 
were  of  stone  and  iron  several  feet  in  thickness ;  the  whole 
being  surrounded  by  walls,  and  a  ditch  twenty-five  feet  deep. 
The  entrance  to  each  cell  was  through  three  consecutive  doors, 
secured  by  double  locks.  The  scanty  food,  and  the  silent, 
unavailing  grief,  endured  by  the  wretched  victims  of  that 
dreadful  abode,  often  reduced  them  to  idiocy ;  besides,  they 
were  taken  from  those  deathlike  cells  each  year,  and  sub- 
jected to  the  horrible  torture  of  the  rack,  which  often  dislo- 
cated their  joints  or  crushed  their  bones,  and  all  this  perhaps 
for  merely  uttering  a  sentiment  averse  to  some  political  party 
in  power!  The  soldiers  and  officers  also  of  the  Bastile, 
except  the  governor,  were  prisoners  in  everything  but  in 
name.  "When  they  entered  the  walls  of  that  prison,  it  was 
for  the  term  of  their  lives,  and  a  wish  expressed  even  to  go 
out,  was  instant  death.  Newgate  would  not  in  any  respect, 
bear  a  similtude  to  the  Bastile.  Indeed,  the  treatment  of 
the  prisoners  and  discipline   of   the   guard  was   often   too 


66  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

lenient,  although  for  disobedience,  punishment  was  some- 
times inflicted  in  the  severest  manner.  The  criminals 
confined  here  after  the  year  1800,  varied  in  number  from 
forty -live  to  sixty,  but  in  1827,  upon  their  removal  to  Weth- 
ersfield,  they  numbered  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven. 

Daily  Koutine. 
A  description  of  the  daily  management  at  Kewgate,  will 
at  this  day  be  found  both  interesting  and  amusing.  The 
hatches  were  opened  and  the  prisoners  called  out  of  their 
dungeon  each  morning  at  daylight,  and  three  were  ordered  to 
"  heave  up  "  at  a  time ;  a  guard  followed  the  three  to  their 
shops,  placing  them  at  their  work,  and  chaining  those  to  the 
block  whose  tempers  were  thought  to  require  it.  All  were 
brought  out  likewise  in  squads  of  three,  and  each  followed 
by  a  guard.  To  those  who  never  saw  the  operation,  their 
appearance  cannot  be  truly  conceived,  as  they  vaulted  forth 
from  the  dungeon  in  their  blackness,  their  chains  clanking 
at  every  step,  and  their  eyes  flashing  fire  upon  the  bystanders. 
It  resembled,  perhaps  more  than  anything,  the  belching  from 
the  bottomless  pit.  After  a  while  their  rations  for  the  day 
were  carried  to  them  in  their  several  shops.  They  consisted 
for  each  day  of  one  pound  of  beef  or  three-fourths  of  a  pound 
of  pork,  one  pound  of  bread,  one  bushel  of  potatoes  for  each 
fifty  rations,  and  one. pint  of  cider  to  every  man.  Each  one 
divided  his  own  rations  to  suit  himself — some  cooked  over 
their  own  mess  in  a  small  kettle  at  their  leisure,  while  others 
disregarding  ceremonies,  seized  their  allowance  and  ate  it  on 
an  anvil  or  block.  The  scene  was  really  graphic,  and  might 
remind  one  of  a  motley  company  of  foreign  emigrants  on 
the  deck  of  a  canal-boat,  during  their  visit  to  the  Far  West. 
They  were  allowed  to  swap  rations,  exchange  commodities, 
barter,  buy,  and  sell,  at  their  pleasure.  Some  would  swap 
their  rations  for  cider,  and  often  would  get  so  tipsy  that  they 
could  not  work,  and  would  ^'  reel  to  and  fro  like  a  drunken 
man."  "  Old  Guinea,"  an  aged  convict,  was  frequently  com- 
missioned  by  them  to  go   abroad   and  purchase  the   good 


NEWGATE  OP  CONNECTICUT.  67 

creature  for  them,  and  would  often  return  laden  with  two 
or  three  gallons.  Sometimes,  by  taking  his  pay  out  of  the 
cargo  on  the  road  rather  freely,  his  ship  would  get  becalmed, 
when  he  would  cast  anchor  by  the  wayside  fur  the  night, 
making  the  consignees  doubly  glad  upon  his  safe  arrival 
"  in  the  beautiful  morning."  Lieutenant  Yiet's  tavern,  a 
few  rods  from  the  prison,  was  an  especial  accommodation, 
not  only  for  travellers,  but  for  the  better  sort  of  convicts. 
He  who  could  muster  the  needful  change,  would  prevail  on 
some  one  of  the  guard  to  escort  him  over  the  way  to  the  inn 
of  the  merry  old  gentleman,  where  his  necessities  and  those 
of  his  escort  were  amply  supplied  at  the  bar.  Many  an  un- 
fortunate fellow,  after  his  release  from  bondage,  has  ''  cast  a 
longing  look  behind "  to  the  old  temple  of  Bacchus,  and 
appreciated  the  sentiment  of  the  poet : 

"  Of  joys  departed  never  to  return. 
How  painful  the  remembrance." 

All  were  allowed  to  work  for  themselves  or  others  after  their 
daily  tasks  were  finished,  and  in  that  way  some  of  them  actu- 
ally laid  up  considerable  sums  of  money.  A  little  cash,  or 
some  choice  bits  of  food  from  people  in  the  neighborhood, 
procured  many  a  nice  article  of  cabinet  ware,  a  good  basket, 
a  gun  repaired  by  the  males,  or  a  knit  pair  of  stockings  by 
the  female  convicts.  The  writer,  when  a  boy,  was  often  re- 
warded for  a  pocketful  of  fruit  with  miniature  ships,  boxes, 
brass  rings,  bow  and  arrows,  and  the  like ;  all  being  more 
valuable  for  having  been  made  at  Newgate,  and  all  showing 
the  particular  branch  or  handicraft  to  which  each  had  been 
accustomed.  During  the  day  the  guard  was  changed  once  in 
two  hours,  at  the  sound  of  a  horn,  and  in  the  night  a  guard 
entered  the  caverns  every  hour  and  a  half,  and  counted  the 
prisoners.  The  punishments  inflicted  for  oflfences  and  neglect 
of  duty  were  severe  flogging,  confinement  in  stocks  in  the 
dungeon,  being  fed  on  bread  and  water  during  the  time, 
double  or  treble  sets  of  irons,  hanging  by  the  heels,  &c.,  all 
tending  to  inflame  their  revenge  and  hatred,  and   seldora 


68  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

were  appeals  made  to  their  reason  or  better  feelings.  Most 
of  them  were  placed  together  in  the  night;  solitary  lodging, 
as  practiced  at  this  day,  being  regarded  as  a  punishment, 
rather  than  a  blessing  to  them. 

Their  employment  consisted  in  making  nails,  barrels, 
shoes,  wagons,  doing  job-work,  farming,  and  working  on  the 
tread  mill.  A  building  for  a  tread-mill  was  erected,  about 
the  year  1824,  for  the  purpose  of  grinding  grain  for  prison 
use,  and  occasionally  for  the  neighboring  inhabitants.  A 
large  wheel,  between  twenty  and  thirty  feet  long,  was  fur- 
nished with  horizontal  flanges  as  steps,  upon  which  the 
prisoners  trod,  and  their  weight  causing  the  wheel  to  revolve, 
furnished  the  motive  power  to  propel  the  machinery.  Of  all 
labor  required  of  the  prisoners,  the  tread-mill  was  dreaded 
the  most,  and  the  most  stubborn  were  put  to  this  employ- 
ment. In  extreme  cases,  one  of  the  lady  hirds  was  put  on 
the  wheel  among  the  men  as  a  punishment,  and  that  was 
generally  sufficient  to  subdue  the  most  refractory  in  a  very 
short  space  of  time.*  The  tread-mill  proved  however,  to  be 
an  unprofitable  investment  for  the  State. 

The  following  is  from  Kendall's  Travels  in  the  Northern 
Parts  of  the  United  States.  He  visited  Newgate  prison  in 
1807,  and  says : 

"On  being  admitted  into  the  gaol  yard,  I  found  a  sentry  under  arms  within 
the  gate,  and  eight  soldiers  drawn  up  in  a  line  in  front  of  the  gaoler's  house. 
A  bell  summoning  the  prisoners  to  work  had  already  rung ;  and  in  a  few 
moments  they  began  to  make  their  appearance.  They  came  in  irregular  num- 
bers, sometimes  two  or  three  together,  and  sometimes  a  single  one  alone ;  but 
whenever  one  or  more  were  about  to  cross  the  yard  to  the  smithery,  the  soldiers 
were  ordered  to  present,  in  readiness  to  fire.  The  prisoners  were  heavily  ironed, 
and  secured  both  by  handcuffs  and  fetters ;  and  being  therefore  unable  to  walk, 
could  only  make  their  way  by  a  sort  of  jump  or  a  hop.  On  entering  the  smithery, 
some  went  to  the  sides  of  the  forges,  where  collars,  dependent  by  iron  chains 
from  the  roof,  were  fastened  round  their  necks,  and  others  were  chained  in  pairs 
to  wheelbarrows,  t  The  number  of  prisoners  was  about  forty;  and  when  they 
were  all  disposed  of  in  the  manner  described,  sentries  were  placed  within  the 
buildings  which  contained  them.  After  viewing  thus  far  the  economy  of  this 
prison,  I  left  it,  proposing  to  visit  the  cells  at  a  later  hour. 


♦Female  convicts  were  formerly  sent  to  the  county  jails,  but  a  law  was  after- 
irards  passed  authorizing  their  commitment  to  Newgate. 
t  Only  the  most  dangerous  and  refractory  were  thus  heavily  ironed. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  69 

"  This  ettablishment,  as  I  have  said,  is  desigDed  to  be,  from  all  its  arrange- 
tfients,  an  object  of  terror ;  and  everything  is  accordingly  contrived  to  make  the 
rife  endured  iu  it  as  burdensome  and  miserable  as  possible.  In  conformity  with 
this  idea,  the  place  chosen  for  the  prison  is  no  other  than  the  mouth  of  a  for- 
saken copper-mine,  of  which  the  excavations  are  employed  as  cells.  They  are 
descended  by  a  shaft,  which  is  secured  by  a  trap-door,  within  the  prison-house, 
or  gaoler's  house,  which  stands  upon  the  mine. 

*'  The  trap-door  being  lifted  up,  I  went  down  an  iron  ladder,  perpendicularly 
fixed  to  the  depth  of  about  fifty  feet.  From  the  foot  of  the  ladder  a  rough, 
narrow,  and  low  passage  descends  still  deeper,  till  it  terminates  at  a  well  of  clear 
water,  over  which  is  an  air-shaft,  seventy  feet  in  height,  and  guarded  at  its 
mouth,  which  is  within  the  gaol  yard,  by  a  hatch  of  iron.  The  cells  are  near 
the  well,  but  at  different  depths  beneath  the  surface,  none  perhaps  exceeding 
sixty  feet.  They  are  small,  rugged,  and  accommodated  with  wooden  berths, 
and  some  straw.  The  straw  was  wet,  and  there  was  much  humidity  in  every 
part  of  this  obscure  region ;  bnt  I  was  assured  I  ought  to  attribute  this  only  to 
the  remarkable  wetness  of  the  season ;  that  the  cells  were  in  general  dry,  and 
that  they  were  not  found  unfavorable  to  the  health  of  the  prisoners, 

*•  Into  these  cells  the  prisoners  are  dismissed  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
every  day  without  exception,  and  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  They  descend  in 
their  fetters  and  handcuffs,  and  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  they  ascend  the 
iron  ladder,  climbing  it  as  well  as  they  can  by  the  aid  of  their  fettered  limbs. 
It  is  to  be  observed  that  no  women  are  confined  here  ;  the  law  providing  that 
female  convicts,  guilty  of  crimes  of  which  men  are  to  be  confined  in  Newgate 
prison,  are  to  be  sent  only  to  the  county  gaols. 

"  Going  again  into  the  workshop  or  smithery,  I  found  the  attendants  of  the 
prison  delivering  pickled  pork  for  dinner  of  the  prisoners.  Pieces  were  given 
separately  to  the  parties  at  each  forge.  They  were  thrown  upon  the  floor,  and 
left  to  be  washed  and  boiled  in  the  water  used  for  cooling  the  iron  wrought  at 
the  forges.  Meat  had  been  distributed  in  like  manner  for  breakfast.  The  food 
of  the  prison  is  regulated  for  each  day  in  the  week ;  and  consists  in  an  alterna- 
tion of  pork,  beef,  and  peas,  with  which  last  no  flesh-meat  is  allowed.  Besides 
the  caverns  or  excavations  below,  and  the  gaoler's  house  above,  there  are  other 
apartments  prepared  for  the  prisoners,  and  particularly  a  hospital,  of  which  the 
neatness  and  airiness  afford  a  strong  contrast  to  the  other  parts  of  the  prison. 
It  was  also  satisfactory  to  find  that  in  this  hospital  there  were  no  pick. 

*'  Such  is  the  seat  and  the  scene  of  punishment  provided  by  Connecticut  for 
criminals  not  guilty  of  murder,  treason,  or  either  of  a  few  other  capital  offences. 
What  judgment  the  reader  will  pass  upon  it  I  do  not  venture  to  antieip^ite  ;  but 
for  myself,  I  cannot  get  rid  of  the  impression,  that  without  any  extraordinary 
cruelty  in  its  actual  operation,  there  is  something  very  like  cruelty  in  the  device 
and  design." 

Escapes  and  Insurrections. 

The  following  is  a  relation  of  other  escapes  and  insurrec- 
tions, which  occurred  at  various  periods  in  Newgate  prison, 
during  a  period  of  nearly  forty  years. 

In  November,  1794,  a  convict  by  the  name  of  Xeu-el  es- 
caped from  the  prison  by  digging  out.     It  was  the  practice 


70  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

at  that  time  to  allow  the  prisoners  the  choice  of  lodging  in 
the  stone  cellar  under  the  guard-room  (generally  known  by 
the  name  of  the  stone  jug),  or  of  going  from  thence  down 
into  the  caverns.  During  the  night  a  noise  below  was  heard 
by  the  guard,  and  some  of  them  went  down  among  the 
prisoners  to  learn  the  cause,  but  could  discover  nothing  out 
of  place.  In  the  morning  on  counting  them,  as  was  cus- 
tomary, one  was  discovered  to  be  missing.  It  was  found 
that  the  prisoners,  in  some  unaccountable  manner,  had  con- 
trived to  loosen  and  pull  out  one  of  the  large  cubic  stones  on 
the  bottom  of  the  cellar.  Through  the  aperture  thus  made, 
they  hauled  out  the  earth,  pouring  it  down  the  shaft,  and 
incredible  as  it  may  seem,  they  dug  a  hole  through  gravel, 
earth,  and  stones,  under  the  floor  and  wall  large  enough  for 
a  man  to  crawl  out !  It  appears  that  when  the  guard  went 
down  among  them  in  the  night,  the  prisoners  could  hear  their 
arrangements  for  descending,  and  instantly  replaced  the 
stone  and  prevented  a  discovery  of  their  operations.  Newel, 
being  a  very  small  man,  was  the  only  one  who  succeeded  in 
making  his  escape  ;  he  was  never  retaken. 

In  the  year  1802  the  prisoners  rose  upon  the  guard.  The 
commander,  Colonel  Thomas  Sheldon,  was  then  sick,  and 
soon  after  died ;  all  the  officers  and  guard  were  sick  also, 
except  Mr.  Dan  Forward,  a  private.  With  occasional  assist- 
ance of  people  in  the  neighborhood,  the  entire  charge  of 
the  prisoners,  at  that  time  amounting  to  between  thirty  and 
forty,  devolved  upon  him.  They  had  heard  that  many  of 
the  officers  and  privates  were  sick,  and  observing  that  one 
man  performed  nearly  the  whole  duty,  their  suspicions  were 
confirmed,  and  their  plot  strengthened.  It  is  not  certain 
whether  there  was  a  fair  understanding  among  them  ;  if  there 
was,  their  courage  most  miserably  failed.  While  they  were 
passing  down  into  their  caverns  at  the  close  of  the  day  as 
usual,  and  when  nearly  all  of  them  were  going  down  the 
ladder,  those  who  remained  refused  to  proceed,  and  began  an 
attack  upon  Forward,  who  was  standing  near.  He  was  a 
robust,  stout  fellow,  over  six  feet  high,  and  always  ready 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  71 

for  any  contest ;  and  instead  of  retreating,  lie  returned  their 
compliments,  taking  one  by  the  neck  and  another  by  the 
heels,  and  dashing  them  down  into  the  shaft  upon  the  rest, 
who  had  now  begun  to  come  up.  The  neighbors  hearing  a 
scuffle  at  the  prison,  ran  over  to  his  assistance ;  but  tlieir  aid 
was  unnecessary,  as  Forward  had  vanquished  his  foes  and 
turned  their  course  into  the  dungeon.  It  is  very  likely  that 
all  could  have  escaped  if  Forward  had  betrayed  the  least  sign 
of  fear,  or  had  resorted  to  any  other  mode  of  persuasion. 

At  this  time  a  very  contagious  fever  raged  at  the  prison, 
and  soon  began  to  spread  among  the  convicts.  It  was  with- 
out doubt  owing  to  the  filth  in  and  around  the  prison,  and  to 
the  want  of  care  and  attention  to  their  cleanliness  and  com- 
fort. The  disease  was  so  virulent,  that  in  order  to  arrest  its 
progress,  a  barn  was  engaged  of  Captain  Roswell  Phelps, 
into  which  they  were  to  be  removed.  People  in  the  vicinity 
were  employed  to  take  care  of  the  sick  and  perform  the 
duties  of  guard  ;  but  all  the  prisoners  except  three  Irishmen 
being  sick,  it  was  found  impracticable  to  remove,  and 
after  some  weeks  the  disease  abated.  None  of  the  prison- 
ers, however,  died,  and  no  other  instance  of  a  general  con- 
tagion among  them  ever  occurred. 

In  1806,  on  the  1st  of  November,  a  rebellion  took  place 
which  for  its  results  deserves  notice.  About  thirty  prisoners 
in  the  nail-shop  had  procured  keys  made  from  the  pewter 
buttons  on  their  clothes,  and  with  those  keys  they  were  to 
unlock  their  fetters.  It  was  agreed  that  one  of  their  num- 
ber should  strike  a  shovel  across  a  chimney,  and  that  was  to 
be  the  signal  for  them  all  to  unlock  fetters,  and  commence 
an  attack  upon  the  guard,  to  wrest  their  weapons  from  them 
and  use  them  to  the  best  advantage.  The  signal  was  given, 
their  fetters  were  unlocked,  and  two  of  their  number  beo^an 
the  attack.  Aaron  Goomer,  a  negro,  and  another,  seized  an 
officer  by  the  name  of  Smith,  who  not  having  time  to  draw 
his  sword,  struck  upon  them  with  scabbard  and  all,  break- 
ing his  sword,  and  while  the  scuffle  was  going  on,  a  guard 
named  Koe  ran  to  the  spot  with  his  musket,  and  levelling 


72  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

it  at  Goomer,  shot  him  dead  on  the  spot.  Two  balls 
passed  through  his  head,  his  hair  was  singed,  and  his  brains 
scattered  round  the  shop.  His  comrade  seeing  his  fate,  re- 
turned to  his  post.  The  courage  of  the  rest  "  oozed  out  at 
their  *  fingers'  ends,' "  for  not  one  of  them  dared  to  stir  from 
their  places,  although  their  shackles  were  unfastened.  Had 
a  well-concerted  attack  been  made  and  sustained  by  the 
rebels  at  this  moment,  they  would  have  commanded  the 
prison  in  five  minutes,  and  could  have  put  to  death  every 
officer  and  private  in  their  quarters. 

Three  brothers  by  the  name  of  Barnes,  natives  of  North 
Haven,  were  imprisoned  together  for  the  crime  of  burglary, 
in  1803.  These  were  the  most  active  and  finest-looking  men 
in  the  prison.  They  were  very  ingenious  and  adroit,  and 
could  construct  almost  any  mechanism  required  of  them. 
These  were  the  fellows  who  planned  the  insurrection  before 
spoken  of,  and  they  made  the  pewter  keys  for  unlocking 
the  fetters.  They  were  experienced  in  making  keys,  and 
could  once,  it  is  said,  open  any  store  in  New  Haven  ;  but 
their  ingenuity  at  length  brought  them  to  an  unfortunate 
place. 

The  fact  is  surprising  that  the  same  three  committed  the 
same  offence  again,  and  were  convicted  and  imprisoned 
again  just  three  years  after!  These  brothers  w^ere  regarded 
by  the  officers  as  extremely  dangerous,  and  for  various 
offences  in  the  prison,  they  were  kept  bound  with  two  sets 
of  fetters  during  the  day,  and  also  chained  to  the  block,  be- 
sides being  sometimes  chained  by  their  necks  to  a  beam 
overhead,  and  at  night  they  were  put  into  the  dungeons,  and 
their  feet  made  fast  in  stocks. 

One  of  the  convicts  named  Parker,  had  been  famous  for 
counterfeiting  the  character  of  priest.  He  had  been  known 
to  have  many  violent  attacks  of  pretended  piety,  generally 
appropriating  to  himself  the  name  and  office  of  an  nnordained 
minister,  a  part  which  he  managed  with  a  great  deal  of  dex- 
terity, and  commonly  without  suspicion  on  the  part  of  his 
dear  hearers,  that  he  was  an  impostor.     His  exhortations  had 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  73 

been  terrible  to  all  stony  hearts,  and  where  his  preaching 
lacked  mental  light  orlogic,  he  always  had  ready  a  supply  of 
bombast  and  bodily  contortions. 

Another  game  it  is  said  he  performed  to  admiration. 
When  he  could  hear  of  the  absence  of  a  long-lost  friend  in 
a  family,  he  would  appear  and  claim  the  identical  relation- 
ship himself,  and  act  all  the  tragedy  or  romantic  pathos  of  a 
joyful  return. 

In  one  instance  he  claimed  to  be  the  stray  husband  of  a 
disconsolate  woman,  and  was  received  by  her  with  all  the 
attachment  supposable  at  such  a  happy  reunion.  His  real 
identity  was  not  discovered  until  in  taking  off  his  shoes,  the 
lady  remarked  that  he  possessed  more  toes  than  belonged  to 
him — her  husband  having  lost  one  by  amputation  ;  he  replied 
with  ready  adroitness  that  the  lost  toe  had  grown  out  again 
since  his  long  absence.  This  determined  the  question  as  to 
his  identity,  and  he  at  once  received  such  a  summary  eject- 
ment, as  is  best  administered  by  a  woman  of  sensible  spirit. 

How  astonishing  such  adroitness ! — to  be  preacher  and 
"  steal  the  livery  of  Heaven  to  serve  the  devil  in ; "  to  be 
brother,  son,  or  husband,  appearing  more  natural,  so  to 
speak,  in  a  fictitious  garb,  than  in  his  real  character !  When 
his  term  of  service  expired,  and  as  he  was  passing  out  of  the 
prison  gate,  one  of  the  convicts  exclaimed,  "  Wo  to  the  in- 
habitants of  the  earth,  for  the  devil  has  gone  out  among 
them." 

Prince  Mortimer,  a  prisoner,  lived  to  a  very  advanced 
age.  He  died  at  the  prison  in  Wethersfield,  in  1834,  sup- 
posed to  be  110  years  old  ;  he  commonly  went  by  the  name 
of  Guinea,  which  was  probably  given  to  him  on  account  of 
his  native  country.  His  complexion  did  not  in  the  least  be- 
lie his  name,  for  surely  he  was  the  personification  of  "  dark- 
ness visible."  His  life  was  a  tale  of  misfortunes,  and  his  fate 
won  the  commiseration  of  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  cap- 
tured on  the  coast  of  Guinea  by  a  slaver  when  a  boy ;  was 
transported  in  a  filthy  slave-ship  to  Connecticut,  then  a  slave 
colony,   and   was   sold  to   one  of  the  Mortimer  family  in 


74  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

Middletown.  He  was  a  servant  to  diifereiit  officers  in  the 
Eevolutionary  War ;  had  been  sent  on  errands  by  General 
Washington,  and  said  he  had  '^  straddled  many  a  cannon 
when  fired  by  the  Americans  at  the  British  troops/'  For 
the  alleged  crime  of  poisoning  his  master  he  was  doomed  to 
Newgate  prison,  in  1811,  for  life.  He  appeared  a  harmless, 
clever  old  man,  and  as  his  age  and  infirmities  rendered  him  a 
burden  to  the  keepers,  they  frequently  tried  to  induce  him 
to  quit  the  prison.  Once  he  took  his  departure,  and  after 
rambling  around  in  search  of  some  one  he  formerly  knew, 
like  the  aged  prisoner  released  from  the  Bastile,  he  returned 
to  the  gates  of  the  prison,  and  begged  to  be  re-admitted  to 
his  dungeon  home,  and  in  prison  ended  his  unhappy  years ! 
Samuel  Smith,  alias  Samuel  Corson,  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  while  confined  at  Newgate  for  passing  counter- 
feit money,  wrote  an  account  of  his  own  life,  which  was 
published  in  1826.  He  stated  many  queer  circumstances 
about  himself,  and  the  various  paths  of  crime  which  he  had 
followed  through  life.  It  appears  he  had  been  a  recruiting 
oflScer  in  the  service,  and  was  stationed  at  Plattsburg,  N.  Y. 
One  of  his  pranks  is  worthy  of  being  recorded  in  his  own 
words : — 

"  One  evening,  I,  together  with  a  number  of  non-commiesioned  oflacers,  took 
a  walk  down  town  for  our  amusement,  and  on  our  return  home,  I  saw  by  a  light 
through  a  window  of  a  Mr.  I's  house,  something  laying  very  carefully  rolled  up, 
on  a  table  under  the  window.  I  also  perceived  that  there  was  no  person  in  the 
room.  I  now  thinking  to  get  something  rare  and  fresh,  in  order  for  our  suppers, 
lifted  up  the  window,  and  on  putting  my  hand  in,  felt  by  its  ribs  and  size, 
enough  to  convince  me  that  it  was  a  good  roaster,  and  I  of  course  made  it  a 
lawful  prize.  Putting  it  under  my  coat,  I  said  nothing  about  it  to  my  comrades, 
until  our  arrival  at  my  quarters,  where  I  invited  them  to  accept  of  some  refresh- 
ment. After  taking  a  light  and  introducing  a  good  bottle  of  brandy,  I  thought 
it  the  most  convenient  time  to  uncover  my  booty,  in  order  to  satisfy  our  craving 
appetites.  At  this  moment,  all  eyes  were  gazing  at  the  mysterious  prize,  when 
lo !  to  my  utter  suprise  and  astonishment,  it  had  turned  from  a  roaster  to  a 
(dead)  colored  child.  You  can  hardly  imagine,  dear  readers,  what  were  my 
feelings  at  this  critical  moment,  not  only  from  exposition  among  my  fellow- 
officers,  nor  disappointment  in  my  intended  and  contemplated  supper,  but  also 
in  the  thoughts  of  robbing  lome  unhappy  parents  of  their  darling  child.  I  need 
not  add,  that  they  had  a  hearty  fit  of  laughter,  at  my  expense,  whilst  my  wits 
were  all  at  work  in  order  to  devise  some  manner  of  getting  out  of  the  hobble, 
and  restoring  the  infant  undiscovered,  to  its  proper  owners.    This  I  thought 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  75 

beit  to  do,  by  returning  it  immediately  to  Mr.  I's  house,  and  in  order  to  accom- 
plish this,  I  took  it  again  under  my  coat  and  repaired  to  the  main  guard,  to 
obtain  liberty  to  return  to  the  village.  On  asking  Lieutenant  Ellison  (who  was 
officer  of  the  guard)  he  discovered  something  white  hanging  below  my  coat, 
and  insisted  on  knowing  what  it  was;  when  1  had  of  course  to  reveal  the  whole 
secret  to  him ;  he  also  laughed  heartily  and  told  me  to  go  on.  When  I  returned 
to  Mr.  I's,  the  house  was  filled  with  both  men  and  women,  who,  having  missed 
the  child,  did  not  know  what  to  think  of  its  mysterious  flight.  I  had  at  first 
thought  of  leaving  it  at  the  door,  but  fearing  the  numerous  hogs  in  the  vicinity 
would  destroy  it,  I  altered  my  mind,  and  taking  it  by  the  heels  threw  it  into  the 
room  among  them.  At  this  crisis,  how  must  they  have  felt,  to  see  it  re-appear 
amongst  them,  and  feeling  at  the  same  time,  the  effects  of  innumerable  particles 
of  glass,  which  flew  in  all  directions  over  the  room.  Their  screams  were 
indescribable — by  which,  in  a  few  moments,  not  only  the  house,  but  the  street 
was  filled  with  astonished  spectators ;  all  anxious  to  know  what  was  the  matter. 
On  my  return  home,  I  met  many  repairing  to  the  house,  and  on  some  of  them 
inquiring  what  was  the  matter  up  the  street,  I  told  them  that  I  believed  there 
was  a  crazy  man  in  the  house  of  Mr.  I.  On  arriving  at  the  barracks  all  was  still, 
and  I  heard  nothing  more  respecting  it  for  some  days." 

A  convict,  by  the  name  of  Kewman,  was  a  noted  prison- 
breaker.  Although  he  perhaps  could  not  boast  of  unlocking, 
scaling,  and  digging  out  of  so  many  prisons  as  the  famous 
Stephen  Burrows,  yet  his  character,  as  it  was  written,  com- 
pared very  well.  He  escaped  in  various  ways  from  several 
prisons  in  Canada  and  the  United  States,  but  this  one,  he 
said,  "was  the  hardest  and  most  secure  prison  he  ever 
entered."  However,  he  contrived  several  plans  for  escaping ; 
once  he  feigned  himself  to  be  dead.  He  was  accordingly 
laid  out  as  a  corpse,  and  preparations  made  for  his  interment ; 
but  before  finding  his  carcass  firmly  under  ground,  he  con- 
cluded it  best  to  have  his  resurrection,  and  at  length  ventured 
to  disclose  to  his  attendants  the  important  fact,  that  he  would 
feel  quite  as  comfortable  in  his  long  home,  if  he  could  get 
the  breath  out  of  his  body  and  make  his  heart  stop  beating. 
He  often  pretended  to  have  fits,  requiring  medical  aid,  and 
what  was  of  more  consequence,  the  aid  of  a  little  Brandy  or 
Madeira.  He  pretended  to  raise  blood  from  his  lungs 
whenever  he  wished  to  draw  sympathy  from  the  guard,  until 
it  was  discovered  that  it  was  a  substance  made  to  order  by 
chewing  pieces  of  red  hrick^  or  pricking  his  gums.  He 
would  vary  his  pulse  by  pounding  his  elbows  and  other 
violent  means,  and  thus  deceive  the  physician.     He  said  he 


76  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

could  reduce  his  flesli  in  ten  days  by  sucking  a  copper  cent 
in  his  mouth  each  night,  and  swallowing  the  saliva,  which 
destroys  the  juices  of  the  body,  and  produces  premature 
decay.  He  was  continually  apprehensive  that  he  w^ould  yet 
be  taken  back  to  England,  w^here  he  said  he  should  have 
to  answer  for  the  crime  of  murder,  as  a  thousand  pounds 
reward  for  his  arrest  stood  against  him.  His  chief  desire 
was  to  avoid  labor  at  the  nail-block,  but  he  was  finally  cured 
of  his  tricks  with  the  threat  of  having  the  brand  of  rogue  set 

on  his  forehead. 

A  Gkaye  Subject. 

A  comical  episode  took  place  one  day  upon  the  death  of  a 
negro  convict,  named  Charles  Mears.  His  body  was  placed 
in  a  roughly  made  box,  as  was  the  practice,  and  two  prison- 
ers, and  a  guard  by  the  name  of  Moses  Talcott,  were  detailed 
to  convey  the  body  to  a  secluded  spot  half  a  mile  north, 
where  the  prisoners  were  usually  buried.  Before  the  box 
and  contents  were  taken  in  charge  by  the  grave  cortege, 
another  convict,  a  white  man,  whose  name  is  not  now  recalled, 
considering  that  "  even  exchange  is  no  robbery,"  slyly  took 
off  the  cover  from  the  box,  and  pulling  out  the  dead  negro 
hid  him  in  a  bye  corner,  depositing  his  own  live  carcass 
therein.  At  the  appointed  hour  the  aforesaid  bearers  took 
up  their  grave  subject,  and  followed  by  the  guard,  soon 
arrived  at  the  place  of  burial.  They  set  down  their  load 
and  were  about  to  commit  ''  dust  to  dust  and  ashes  to  ashes," 
when  to  their  utter  consternation,  a  strange  sepulchral  noise 
was  heard  from  within  that  coffin.  They  listened  for  a 
moment  transfixed  with  horror,  and  the  next  moment  all  fled 
with  the  utmost  speed  back  to  the  prison  and  related  their 
horrible  adventure. 

It  is  needless  to  relate  that  the  live  corpse  who  made  "  from 
the  tombs  a  doleful  sound,"  being  well  satisfied  with  his 
ingenious  ruse,  took  a  lively  departure  and  was  never  re-taken. 
The  rightful  occupant  of  the  box  was  at  length  discovered, 
and  the  aforesaid  attendants  with  more  caution  and  less 
confidence,  deposited  their  charge  in  safety,  while  all  parties 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  77 

considered  the  affair  as  a  grave  subject  in  more  respects  than 
one. 

It  was  frequently  customary  for  farmers  and  others  in  tlie 
neighborhood  to  employ  the  prisoners  in  their  helds,  being 
accompanied  at  such  times  by  some  of  the  guard.  They 
also  performed  a  great  amount  of  labor  in  quarrying  stone 
for  the  prison  buildings,  and  other  uses.  Six  of  them  on 
one  occasion  were  sent  out  a  short  distance  to  quarry  stone, 
in  charge  of  one  officer  and  two  privates.  With  no  fetters, 
and  a  fair  field  before  them,  they  perceived  the  chance  a 
good  one  for  escape.  Their  plan  was  to  get  their  keepers 
near  together,  to  employ  their  attention  about  some  trifle, 
and  quickly  seize  their  arms.  Accordingly  they  persuaded 
their  keepers  to  peel  off  some  birch  bark  and  make  caps  for 
them,  and  while  the  cap  business  was  going  on,  and  the 
attention  of  the  cajp  makers  was  occupied  in  their  vocation, 
their  weapons  were  seized  in  an  instant ;  the  refugees,  divid- 
ing the  spoils  and  forming  themselves  into  squads,  quickly 
scampered  over  hills.  The  forlorn  guards  retreated  to  the 
prison,  told  their  sad  tale  to  the  captain,  and  at  once  received 
their  discharge.  The  prisoners  were  all  re-taken ;  some  in 
the  western  part  the  State  for  stealing  ;  the  others  stole  a 
boat  in  the  Connecticut  river,  and  steering  down  the  stream 
leisurely,  were  captured  in  East  Hartford  meadows. 

The  wit  of  some  of  the  convicts  is  well  illustrated  in  an 
anecdote  of  one  of  them,  an  Irishman  named  Dublin.  He 
was  at  his  work  making  nails,  when  at  one  time  Major 
Humphrey,  who  then  commanded,  came  along,  and  said  to 
him,  ^'  Dublin,  your  nails  are  defective ;  the  heads  are  not 
made  alike."  "  Ah,"  said  he,  "  Major,  if  our  heads  had  all 
been  made  alike,  faith,  I  should  not  have  been  cauglit  here." 
Dublin  afterwards  tried  to  escape  by  leaping  over  the  paling. 
He  succeeded  in  getting  upon  the  top,  and  in  leaping  down, 
one  of  the  iron  spikes  with  which  the  enclosure  was  mounted, 
caught  in  his  fetters  and  turned  him,  as  he  said,  '^  tother  end 
up."  For  some  time  he  hung  suspended,  head  downwards, 
between  heaven  and  earth,  seventeen  feet  high,  until  at  last, 


78  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

after  tearing  off  his  finger  ends  and  nails  in  his  struggles  he 
turned  himself  back  sufficiently  to  disentangle  his  feet,  when 
he  fell  to  the  ground,  and  soon  scampered  away  among  the 
swamps  and  bushes.  There  he  remained  until  aroused  by 
the  unwelcome  calls  of  his  stomach,  when  he  ventured  out 
in  the  night,  and  opening  a  window  in  the  neighborhood,  he 
appropriated  to  himself  a  good  loaf  of  bread  and  a  cheese, 
and  again  hid  himself  for  two  days.  In  trying  to  break  his 
fetters  with  a  stone,  he  was  overheard  by  one  of  the  guard, 
Michael  Ilolcomb,  who  called  to  him,  "Dublin,  what  are 
doing? "  "  I  am  driving  the  sheep  out  of  my  pasture,"  said 
he.  "  But  Dublin  you  must  come  along  with  me."  "  Faith, 
Misthur  Holcomb,  surely  this  is  not  me,"  replied  Dublin. 
He  was  taken  to  the  prison,  where  Holcomb  received  the 
reward  of  ten  dollars  which  had  been  offered. 

In  the  spring  of  1822,  there  M'as  a  rebellion  of  a  very 
serious  nature.  In  the  fall  previous,  between  thirty  and 
forty  criminals  were  added  to  the  number  in  prison,  and  this 
reinforcement  w^as  composed  of  rough  and  hard  characters. 
This  increase  was  in  consequence  of  legislative  enactments 
transferring  many  from  the  county  jails,  which  were  all  con- 
structed of  wood,  and  very  insecure.  The  terms  of  sentence 
w^ere  mostly  long,  which  served  to  fire  them  with  desperation. 
The  same  fall  a  plot  was  set  on  foot  by  them  for  an  outbreak, 
but  it  was  discovered  and  defeated.  The  next  spring  they 
perfected  their  plans  of  operation  in  a  most  masterly  manner. 
The  insurgents  comprised  the  whole  number  in  the  prison, 
amounting  to  more  than  one  hundred.  Their  force  was 
stronger  than  ever  before,  and  the  number  of  guards  less, 
being  at  the  time  only  seventeen.  The  captain,  Tuller,  was 
absent  through  the  night,  also  one  sergeant,  one  private,  and 
the  cook.  The  intention  of  the  rebels  was  to  rise  in  all  the 
shops,  en  masse^  at  a  given  signal  to  knock  down  the  officers, 
take  their  weapons,  and  get  possession  of  the  guard-house 
where  the  arms  were  kept,  and  then  to  take  sole  command 
of  the  works.  The  signal  was  given  in  the  nail-shop  by  a 
blow  from  a  shovel,  and  officer  Eoe  was  instantly  knocked 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  79 

■down  senseless  with  a  bar  of  iron.  Tliej  seized  his  cutlass, 
and  attacked  a  guard  ;  but  so  many  were  engaged  upon  him 
at  once,  pulling  different  ways,  that  they  did  not  succeed  in 
getting  his  musket.  Officer  Case  in  the  meantime  stationed 
a  sentinel  at  the  door  of  the  guard-room,  with  a  loaded 
musket  and  bayonet  charged,  which  being  noticed  by  the 
prisoners  in  the  other  shops,  prevented  their  advancing  to  the 
attack,  and  seemed  to  dishearten  them  at  once.  The  bold 
rebels  in  the  nail-shop  kept  up  the  struggle,  and  sledges, 
spikes,  and  other  missiles  flew  in  all  directions,  and  confusion 
and  uproar  reigned  throughout.  At  this  critical  moment 
officer  Griswold  arrived  at  the  prison,  and  proceeded  directly 
iO  the  scuffle  at  the  musket.  He  drew  his  pistol,  fired  upon 
and  wounded  a  prisoner.  Eoe  by  this  time  had  come  to  his 
senses;  he  arose  from  the  ground  and  shot  another,  when 
presently  several  guards  presented  their  cocked  muskets, 
which  immediately  quelled  the  assailants.  The  general  cry 
of  the  prisoners  was  now  for  quarter :  "  Spare  us !  Don't 
kill  us! — don't  kill  us!"  The  captain  soon  arrived,  and 
bound  the  ringleaders  in  double  irons. 

Ephraim  Shaylor,  one  of  the  guard,  was  sent  out  to 
accompany  two  prisoners,  an  Indian  and  a  white  man,  about 
IJ  miles  from  the  prison,  where  they  were  employed  in 
reaping.  At  the  close  of  the  day,  on  their  return,  the 
prisoners  requested  permission  to  gather  some  apples  and 
carry  them  home,  to  which  Shaylor  consented ;  he  also  was 
engaged  in  picking  them  up,  when  they  sprang  upon  his 
back,  crushed  him  down,  and  secured  his  weapons,  a  cutlass 
and  fowling-piece.  One  of  them  took  a  large  stone  and  w^as 
about  to  smash  out  his  brains,  but  the  other  dissented,  and 
tliey  concluded  it  best  to  take  him  to  a  copse  of  bushes  near 
by  and  there  dispatch  him.  One  followed  at  his  back,  hold- 
ing him  by  his  sword-belt  with  cutlass  in  hand,  and  the  other 
marched  at  a  respectable  distance,  with  musket  charged,  in 
true  military  style,  and  onward  they  marched  towards  the 
fatal  spot.  Our  hero  now  concluded  that  his  fatal  hour  had 
come,  and  thought  if  he  must  die,  there  might  be  at  least  ji 


80  NEWGATE  OF  (JONNECTICUT. 

choice  in  the  mode  ;  and  considering  that  a  shot  in  the  back 
at  such  a  crisis  would  be  no  dishonor.  On  a  sudden  he  slipped 
the  belt  over  his  head  and  made  for  the  prison,  while  the 
victors  were  disputing  between  themselves  which  should 
take  the  musket  and  fire  upon  him.  Shaylor  reached  the 
prison  in  safety,  rallied  several  others  and  pursued  them, 
but  thev  were  not  to  be  found. 

After  their  victory,  it  appears  that  the  Indian  proposed  to 
the  white  man  to  break  each  other's  fetters,  to  which  the 
other  agreed,  and  after  those  of  the  Indian  were  broken,  the 
crafty  liar  took  speedy  leave  of  his  comrade  without  recip- 
rocating the  favor,  thus  proving  that  the  old  adage  in  this 
instance,  is  not  true,  "  there  is  honor  among  rogues."  The 
white  man  secreted  himself  in  the  mountains  through  the 
day,  and  at  night  went  to  a  blacksmith's  shop  in  Sufiield,  and 
with  a  chisel  cut  off  his  fetters.  Both  were  afterwards  taken 
for  crime  and  re-committed  to  Newgate,  where  their  con- 
dition and  that  of  their  enemy  as  victor  and  vanquished  was 
strangely  reversed,  and  Shaylor  had  an  opportunity  of  enjoy- 
ing his  right  of  laying  upon  their  bare  backs  a  few  keen 
lashes.  Mr.  Shaylor  afterwards  held  a  commission  in  the 
army,  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Bridgewater,  and  was 
wounded. 

It  was  customary  to  give  the  prisoners  in  each  shop  a  daily 
take  of  work,  a  certain  number  of  pounds  of  nails,  or  amount 
of  boot  and  shoe  work,  or  number  of  barrels  to  be  made 
and  to  be  completed  by  about  3  p.  m.  each  day,  after  which 
they  were  marched  into  a  room  built  of  stone  under  the 
guard-house.  There  they  were  kept  together  until  evening, 
when  they  were  required  to  descend  into  the  caverns  for  the 
night;  a  few,  however,  were  usually  employed  about  the 
premises  during  the  day  as  waiters,  cooks,  etc.  After  the 
main  body  were  locked  in  the  stone  room,  the  large  gate 
leading  into  the  yard  was  unfastened,  and  left  open  for  ad- 
mission of  teams  and  for  persons  who  transacted  business  at 
the  prison. 

The  following  is  related  by  General  Hillyer,  of  Hartford, 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  81 

being  at  that  time  one  of  the  guard.  One  day  a  large,  power- 
ful negro  employed  in  the  cook-room  noticing  that  the  guard, 
Mr.  Lott  Thompson  (a  very  pious  man)  was  intently  reading 
his  Bible,  suddenly  seized  a  stick  of  wood  and  knocked  him 
senseless  to  the  floor.  The  negro  than  ran  for  the  open  gate, 
but  fortunately  the  keeper.  Captain  Washburn e,  happened  to 
be  returning  at  the  same  time,  and  the  negro  seeing  his  plan 
80  unexpectedly  frustrated,  turned  and  ran  back  into  a  room, 
and  hid  himself  in  a  meal  chest.  The  Captain  followed  and 
pulled  him  out,  well  powdered  over  with  meal,  and  placed 
him  in  irons  and  close  quarters.  He  was  afterwards  con- 
victed of  the  offence,  and  sentenced  to  a  further  term  of 
imprisonment.  Mr.  Thompson  was  at  length  restored  to 
consciousness,  but  never  fully  recovered  from  his  injuries. 

In  contrast  with  the  grim  aspect  of  the  dungeons  below 
ground,  I^ewgate  witnessed  occasionally  high  carnival  above 
ground.  The  officers  and  guard  with  people  outside  the 
walls  used  a  room  in  one  of  the  prison  buildings  as  a  dancing 
hall  in  the  evening,  occasionally,  where,  with  the  aforesaid 
hero  of  the  meal-chest  as  fiddler,  they  "tripped  the  light 
fantastic  toe." 

A  thief  by  the  name  of  James  Smith,  a  native  of  Groton, 
Conn.,  was  imprisoned  for  horse-stealing,  in  1822,  for  the 
term  of  six  years.  He  had  been  a  great  counterfeiter,  and 
circumstances  which  afterwards  came  to  light  are  evidence 
that  he  had  been  a  barbarous  pirate.  The  piratical  crew  had 
sailed  in  a  French  vessel,  and  after  obtaining  much  plunder, 
fearing  to  enter  any  port  without  regular  papers,  they  sunk 
their  vessel  on  the  coast  of  ]S"orth  Carolina,  carried  their 
specie  in  three  boats,  and  buried  it  all,  except  one  large  trunk 
full,  on  the  beach  in  Currituck  county.  In  corroboration  of 
the  above  it  appears  that  while  he  was  a  prisoner  in  IN'ewgate, 
he  offered  David  Foster,  a  guard,  $200  if  he  would  assist 
him  to  escape,  telling  him  he  had  a  great  quantity  of  specie 
buried  on  the  coast  of  North  Carolina.  Foster  refused,  but 
promised  to  say  nothing  about  it.  This  he  testified  in  court 
when  afterwards  called  upon  as  a  witness.  Smith  in  a  few 
6 


32  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

months  afterwards  escaped  from  prison,  as  was  supposed,  by 
bribery. 

The  following  respecting  him  is  related  by  Mr.  Benjamin 
Taylor,  a  planter  recently  living  in  North  Carolina.  Smith 
and  seven  or  eight  others  came  to  his  house  in  the  year 
1822,  and  hired  of  him  a  room  ;  they  employed  him  with 
four  of  his  slaves  to  cross  Currituck  sound,  and  obtained  a 
large  trunk,  very  heavy,  and  returned  to  his  house,  where 
they  all  remained  about  one  week.  While  there  he  saw 
them  divide  a  large  sum  of  specie  among  themselves,  and 
Smith,  appearing  to  be  at  their  head,  took  the  largest  sum. 
They  were  arrested  on  suspicion  of  being  robbers,  but  for 
want  of  sufficient  evidence  discharged.  They  all  then  left 
for  Norfolk,  Ya.,  except  Smith,  who  remained  several  weeks. 
During  this  time  he  often  appeared  to  be  deranged,  would 
talk  to  himself,  and  told  the  servants  that  he** had  made 
many  a  man  walk  the  plank  overboard."  He  then  went  to 
the  north,  and  was  imprisoned  at  Xewgate  for  stealing  a 
horse.  After  his  escape  from  prison  as  above  stated,  he  re- 
turned to  the  house  of  Mr.  Taylor  and  staid  about  one  week. 
While  there  he  employed  several  men  in  digging  on  the 
beach.  Their  search  was  fruitless,  for  the  storms  and  waves 
had  dashed  upon  the  beach  too  long,  and  it  is  supposed  swept 
the  treasures  into  the  ocean.  He  then  went  away  to  some 
place  unknown  to  Mr.  Taylor.  It  now  appears  from  the 
prison  records  that  he  came  to  Connecticut,  where  he  was 
taken  and  again  sentenced  for  twenty-three  years  on  four 
indictments  for  horsestealing.  His  last  home  on  earth  was 
in  prison,  and  there  he  died  in  1836. 

The  following  sad  misfortune  which  happened  to  one  of 
the  convicts  has  aftbrded  material  for  several  absurd  and 
exaggerated  tales,  fabricated  about  the  old  prison : — 

An  old  negro,  named  Jake,  a  shoemaker,  accused  of  burn- 
ing his  leather,  was  shackled  and  put  into  a  dark  cell  in  the 
cavern  used  for  solitary  confinement.  This  small  room  was 
partitioned  off  with  a  thick  wall  and  a  strong  plank  and 
iron  door.     It  was,  and  is  now  known  as  the  "sounding- 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  83 

room ; "  and  if  the  visitor  is  curious  as  to  the  origin  of  the 
term,  let  him  sing  or  speak  in  a  full  bass  tone  and  he  will  be 
surprised  at  the  loud,  sepulchral  reverberations.  Here  refrac- 
tory prisoners  were  contined  in  solitude,  chained  to  a  heavy 
ring  and  staple  in  the  rock,  and  fed  on  bread  and  water  until 
subdued.  The  negro,  as  appears  by  his  own  story,  busy 
with  tricks  and  experiments  in  his  solitude,  pulled  his  fetters 
from  their  proper  position  on  his  ankles  up  over  the  calves 
of  his  legs,  innocently  supposing  that  he  could  push  them 
down  again  at  will.  But  the  venous  blood  began  to  accumu- 
late below  the  iron  bands ;  and  his  legs  were  soon  so  swollen 
that  the  fetters  could  not  be  pushed  down.  When  the  guard 
went  down  to  carry  him  his  bread  he  found  the  negro  in 
great  agony.  A  surgeon  was  summoned  who  ascertained 
that  the  irons  were  so  embedded  in  the  swollen  flesh  that 
they  could  not  be  cut,  and  in  order  to  save  his  life  he  was 
obliged  to  amputate  both  his  legs.  The  old  fellow  survived 
the  operation,  and  was  soon  after  discharged  from  prison  by 
order  of  the  legislature — it  being  quite  evident,  doubtless, 
that  he  had  been  sufficiently  punished,  and  that  he  was  not 
left  in  such  a  physical  condition  as  to  trouble  the  outside 
world  any  more.  He  used  afterwards  to  labor,  in  his  crippled 
way,  for  people  in  the  neighborhood,  and  was  living  until  a 
few  years  ago. 

The  last  tragedy  developed  at  Newgate  took  place  on  the 
night  previous  to  the  removal  to  Wethersfield.  Abel  N. 
Starkey,  an  ingenious  criminal,  was  the  victim.  He  was  a 
native  of  Roxbury,  Mass.,  was  committed  in  1824  for  twenty 
years,  for  the  crime  of  making  counterfeit  money.  By  his 
ingenuity  and  industry  at  the  prison  he  had  amassed  $100  in 
cash.  On  the  night  of  September  28th,  1827,  being  the  day 
previous  to  the  removal  of  the  prisoners  to  Wethersfield,  he 
requested  permission  to  lodge  in  the  dungeon,  which  was 
granted  to  him.  From  some  cause  which  has  never  been 
explained,  the  hatch  which  covered  one  of  the  wells  com- 
municating with  the  cavern,  was  unfastened.  During  the 
night  he  laid  hold  of  the  well-rope  and  ascended  upon  it 


84:  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

part  of  the  way  up,  when  it  broke  and  precipitated  him  into 
the  water,  and  a  bucket  fell  upon  his  head ;  the  noise  was 
heard  above,  and  he  was  found  dead.  His  feet  were  tied 
together  with  a  handkerchief  for  the  purpose,  as  is  supposed, 
of  assisting  him  in  climbing  the  rope.  Only  $60  were  found 
in  his  possession  ;  the  balance  was  probably  the  price  paid  to 
gome  confederate  for  unfastening  the  hatch. 

It  would  seem  that  Newgate  prison,  in  the  course  of  its 
duration,  had  contained  all  which  was  various  in  character, 
determined  in  crime,  and  deep  in  degradation.  It  com- 
passed all  ages,  from  boyhood  to  extreme  old  age;  both  sexes, 
colors,  and  different  occupations ;  students  from  college,  and 
others  unable  to  read  or  write.  Those  skilled  in  phrenology 
might  have  had  a  rich  treat  in  exploring  the  bumps  on  some 
of  those  hard  heads,  and  the  solving  of  their  characteristics 
would  have  afforded  amusement  and  perhaps  instruction. 

Seriously,  it  is  difficult  to  account  for  the  wayward  incli- 
nation of  some  of  them,  especially  those  who  were  imprisoned 
a  number  of  times,  and  for  the  same  kind  of  offence  each 
term,  unless  it  can  be  accounted  for  on  phrenological  prin- 
ciples. It  may  be  said  to  indicate  only  a  depraved  heart,  but 
a  depraved  heart  must  have  a  strange  kind  of  head  to  run 
repeatedly  into  the  same  crime  and  get  back  to  the  same 
prison.  But  I  leave  it  to  those  who  understand  the  science 
to  defend  the  ground,  presuming  that  the  truth  of  their 
cause  will  insure  them  a  triumphant  issue. 

When  the  number  and  difference  of  characters  kept  in 
that  prison  is  considered,  and  the  treatment  which  they  re- 
ceived is  appreciated,  it  will  at  once  be  seen  how  unavailing 
the  system  must  have  been  for  their  security  or  their  reform- 
ation. The  custom  of  fastening  their  feet  to  bars  of  iron 
to  which  chains  were  attached  from  their  necks,  chaining 
them  to  the  block,  and  likewise  to  a  beam  above,  while  at 
their  work,  scourging  their  bodies  like  beasts,  &c.,  taught 
them  to  look  upon  themselves  in  a  measure  as  they  were 
looked  upon  by  others,  objects  of  dread,  and  possessing  cha- 
racters more  like  fiends  than  men.     With  such  treatment, 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  85 

reformation  must  have  been,  and  was,  entirely  out  of  the 
question.  The  system  was  very  well  suited  to  turn  men  into 
devils,  but  it  never  could  transform  devils  into  men.  Instead 
of  putting  them  in  cells  separately  at  night,  where  they 
might  have  opportunity  for  reflection,  they  were  suffered  to 
congregate  together,  good  and  bad,  young  and  old  to  brew 
mischief,  and  to  teach  new  vices  to  those  unpracticed.  Their 
midnight  revels,  as  may  be  supposed,  were  often  like  the 
howling  in  a  pandemonium  of  tigers,  banishing  sleep  and 
forbidding  rest. 

It  is  not  desired  that  these  remarks,  however,  should  be  so 
construed  as  to  impute  blame  to  the  officers  or  guard  of  the 
prison.  Although  they  were  many  times  in  fault,  still,  as 
the  prison  was  constructed,  and  in  the  way  that  service  was 
required  of  them,  it  was  impossible  to  preserve  that  degree 
of  order  and  discipline  so  essential  to  success.  They  had  no 
approved  system  of  prison  discipline  to  study,  no  correct 
views  of  punishment  connected  with  reformation  were  at 
that  day  generally  known,  and  but  few  branches  of  business 
were  thought  of,  which  would  yield  a  fair  compensation  and 
save  the  State  expense. 

The  insecurity  of  Newgate  prison,  and  the  constant  bur- 
den upon  the  treasury  of  the  State  for  its  support,  excited  a 
very  strong  discussion  in  the  public  prints,  and  in  the  legis- 
lature, for  several  years.  The  subject  of  a  new  prison  on  a 
more  modern  plan,  aud  the  abandonment  of  the  old  one 
raised  a  powerful  party  in  its  support.  Among  the  foremost 
in  this  enterprise  was  Martin  Welles,  Esq.,  of  Wethersfield, 
who  labored  zealously  for  its  accomplishment.  The  propro- 
sition  was  opposed  by  others  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Newgate, 
among  whom  was  Major  Orson  P.  Phelps,  an  enterprising 
contractor,  who  had  furnished  the  prison  with  beef,  and 
other  necessaries.  The  Major  indulged  his  ready  poetic  wit, 
on  one  occasion,  by  the  following  sentiment : 

"O'er  the  dark  side  on  Copper  hill, 
Martin  Welles  has  stopped  their  treading  milL 
'Tis  ten  to  one  if  he  don't  miss  it, 
For  Doctor  Buck  can't  deal  out  physic." 


86  NEWGATE  OP  CONNECTICUT. 

He  was  well  answered  by  the  author  of  another  couplet : 

"  Say  what  you  -will,  old  Newgate  helps 
The  beef  contractor,  Major  Phelps. 

The  following  song  was  composed  by  Dr.  Eliphalet  Buck, 
and  sung  on  the  occasion  of  completing  the  walls  of  New- 
gate prison  in  1802.  Dr.  Buck  was  for  many  years  the  estab- 
lished physician  for  J^ewgate,  and  was  a  complete  embodi- 
ment of  fun  as  well  as  physic,  but  had  not  made  the  art  of 
poetry  a  study,  evidently : 

Attend,  all  ye  villains,  that  live  in  the  state, 
Consider  the  walls  that  encircle  Newgate, 

Your  place  of  abode,  if  justice  were  done. 
The  assembly  in  wisdom,  when  they  did  behold 
The  first  wooden  pickets,  grown  ruined  and  old, 
They  granted  a  sum  to  the  wise  overseers. 
Which,  amply  sufficient  to  make  the  repairs. 

And  they  did  decide  to  repair  with  hewn  stone. 

In  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  two. 

A  party  collected,  to  split  and  to  hew. 
Their  names  in  my  song,  shall  last  with  the  wall ; 
First,  Lieutenant  Barber  the  job  undertakes; 
Beneath  his  strong  labor,  old  Copper  Hill  shakes, 
With  his  workmen  in  order,  the  stone  for  to  square, 
And  others  strong  burdens  with  cheerfulness  bear, 

While  each  one  delights  to  attend  to  his  call. 

The  next  in  the  column  is  sage  Pettibone, 
Whose  skill  in  the  work  is  exceeded  by  none. 

To  handle  the  gravel,  or  poise  the  great  maul ; 
With  him  senior  Jared  an  equal  part  bears. 
And  in  the  hard  labor  he  equally  shares : 
While  Gillett,  and  Holcomb,  and  Cosset  appear. 
And  Hillyer  all  anxious  the  fabric  to  rear, 

To  lay  the  foundation— to  strengthen  the  Wall. 

Bold  Harrington,  Goddard,  and  Lieutenant  Reed, 
Each  lend  their  assistance  the  work  to  proceed. 

Perhaps  there  are  others,  whose  names  I  don't  call, 
With  hammers,  and  chisels,  and  crowbars  and  gads, 
And  Wanrax,  with  other  poor  prisoner  lads, 
To  hand  up  the  mortar,  or  carry  the  hod ; 
Which  may,  to  some  strangers  appear  very  odd. 
To  think  the  poor  culprits  help  build  their  own  WalL 

November  the  tenth,  for  the  good  of  the  state. 
They  finished  the  wall  and  completed  the  gate. 

Which  for  numerous  years  may  swing  and  not  falL 
Then  each  one  returns  to  his  sweetheart  or  wife. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  87 

With  plenty  of  cash  to  support  them  in  life 
With  joy  and  gladness  for  what  they  had  done, 
In  hewing  and  squaring,  and  laying  the  stone, 
Not  wholly  unmindful  of  building  the  Wall. 

Now  here's  to  the  landlord,  before  that  we  go, 
We  wish  him  success,  and  his  lady  also. 

For  their  kind  assistance  to  great  and  to  small, 
For  the  benefit  had  from  his  plentiful  bar, 
And  the  free  intercourse  which  produces  no  jur; 
To  him  and  his  neighbors,  and  every  good  man, 
Who  always  we've  wanted  to  lend  us  a  hand 

To  driv8  on  the  work,  and  finish  the  Wall. 

Now  last,  to  the  prisoners,  we  make  this  remark, 
Who  are  left  to  the  keeping  of  Commodore  Clark. 

It  may  be  of  service,  to  one  and  to  all, 
Repine  not  too  much,  though  your  lot  may  seem  hard, 
You've  a  judicious  keeper,  and  well-disposed  guard ; 
If  you  behave  well  you  have  nothing  to  dread— 
You've  beef,  pork,  and  sauce,  and  a  plenty  of  bread. 

So  behave  well,  and  get  the  outside  of  the  Wall. 

Somw  of  the  prisoners  were  made  to  assist  in  building  the 
wall,  and  it  appears  tliat  they  were  permitted  to  participate 
in  the  jollification  after  it  was  completed.  An  Irish  prisoner, 
named  Patrick,  offered  upon  the  occasion  the  following 
toast : 

"  Here's  to  Lieutenant  Barber's  great  wall — May  it  be  like 
the  walls  of  Jericho,  and  tumble  down  at  the  sound  of  a 
rarrCs  hornP 

The  toast  given  by  Dublin  was  equally  sarcastic,  viz : 

"  Here's  health  to  the  Captain  and  all  the  rest  of  the 
prisoners." 

During  the  fifty-four  years  in  which  Newgate  was  used  as 
a  prison,  fourteen  persons  had  held  the  oftice  of  overseer, 
viz :  Erastus  Wolcott,  Josiah  Bissell,  Jonathan  Humphrey, 
Asahel  Holcomb,  James  Forward,  Matthew  Griswold,  Boger 
Newberry,  John  Treadwell,  Pliny  Hillyer,  Samuel  Wood- 
ruff, Martin  Sheldon,  Eeuben  Barker,  Jonathan  Pettibone, 
Jr.,  Thomas  K.  Brace.  Keepers: — John  Yiets,  Peter  Cur- 
tis, Keuben  Humphreys,  Thomas  Sheldon,  Salmon  Clark, 
Charles  Washburn,  Elam  Tuller,  Alexander  H.  Griswold, 
Andrew  Denison. 


COI^NECTICUT  STATE  PRISON. 

The  present  penitentiary  of  Connecticut  is  situated  on  the 
margin  of  a  beautiful  cove  in  the  town  of  Wethersfield, 
about  three  miles  from  Hartford,  and  is  regarded  as  a  peni- 
tentiary of  the  first  order.  Its  location,  its  construction,  its 
financial  management  and  discipline,  have  won  the  admira- 
tion of  every  State  in  the  Union.  It  has  proved  to  the  world 
that  criminal  punishment  can  be  made  a  safeguard  to  society, 
a  protection  to  the  honest  industry  of  the  people,  and  also  a 
benefit  to  the  moral  and  physical  condition  of  the  convicts. 
The  prison  limits  comprise  about  one  and  a  half  acres  of 
ground,  which  is  enclosed  by  a  wall  of  hard  sandstone,  18 
feet  high,  3  feet  thick  at  its  base,  and  inclining  to  l-J  feet  at 
the  top.  "Within  and  adjoining  this  wall,  are  buildings  of 
the  same  material,  and  of  brick,  used  as  the  warden's  apart- 
ment, hospital,  and  chapel,  and  for  workshops  and  cells.  In 
the  yard  is  a  cistern  underground,  for  water,  of  the  capacity 
of  100  hogsheads.  Water  is  also  brought  to  the  prison  in 
pipes  from  Hartford.  Gas  made  at  the  prison  is  used  to 
light  the  premises. 

A  portion  of  the  cell  building  is  whitewashed  with  lime 
each  day,  which  purifies  the  air,  and  gives  to  the  lodging 
apartments  an  appearance  of  neatness.  Most  of  the  convicts 
enjoy  that  blessing  of  punishment,  a  separate  cell  at  night, 
but  the  largely  increased  number  of  late  (now  264)  requires 
more  room  for  proper  accommodation.  No  one  is  allowed 
while  at  work  to  look  at  any  visitor,  or  to  catch  the  eye  of 
his  fellow,  but  all  are  intent  upon  the  business  before  them. 

88 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  89 

A  library  of  suitable  books,  comprising  about  1400  volumes, 
is  provided  for  such  as  can  read,  and  those  who  cannot  are 
instructed  by  the  chaplain,  who  is  assisted  occasionally  by 
the  warden  and  other  officers.  The  library  is  highly  prized 
by  the  convicts,  who  spend  many  of  their  solitary  hours  in 
reading,  and  the  benefits  have  been  so  apparent,  that  the 
State  has  usually  appropriated  annually  $200  for  the  purchase 
of  books  for  their  use.  Male  convicts  are  employed  at  pres- 
ent in  the  manufacture  of  mechanics'  tools,  boot  and  shoe 
and  cigar  making.  The  females  are  under  the  charge  of  a 
matron,  and  are  employed  in  making  and  mending  clothes, 
and  in  general  laundry  work.  The  services  of  most  of  the 
male  convicts  are  let  by  the  warden  to  companies  or  con- 
tractors, who  pay  monthly  a  stipulated  price  per  day  for  the 
services  of  each  prisoner,  and  no  able-bodied  person  is  ex- 
empt from  labor.  Reverses  in  business  and  other  causes 
occasionally  vary  the  net  income  in  all  penitentiaries,  but  the 
net  profits  of  the  State  prison  at  Wethersfield  have  usually 
averaged  about  $2000  per  annum,  while  most  other  State 
prisons  show  a  large  annual  indebtedness. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  how  much  depends  in  the  suc- 
cess of  a  prison,  upon  skill  and  discipline  in  its  management. 
For  seventeen  years  previous  to  the  removal  of  the  prison, 
in  1827,  the  average  annual  tax  upon  the  State  treasury  for 
the  support  of  Newgate,  including  buildings  and  repairs, 
was  over  $7000.  The  present  institution  has  paid  for  all  its 
buildings  and  fixtures,  and  seventeen  acres  of  land.  It  paid 
$7000  dollars  to  the  counties  of  the  State,  for  the  erection  of 
county  jails  on  the  improved  penitentiary  system,  and  $7000 
to  the  school  districts  in  the  State  for  school  apparatus,  thus 
causing  ignorance  and  crime  to  help  to  educate  the  rising 
generation. 

Strict  order  and  discipline  are  apparent  in  every  depart- 
ment, and  yet  without  any  vain  show  of  power.  No  bars 
or  fetters  are  worn  by  the  prisoners ;  no  armed  sentinel  is 
seen,  except  upon  the  two  towers ;  no  muskets,  swords,  or 
pistols  are  carried  daily  within  the  walls,  and  only  within 


90  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

the  guard-room  are  any  weapons  of  death  to  be  seen.  The 
prison  force  consists  of  the  warden,  deputy  warden,  matron, 
six  watchmen,  and  eight  overseers  for  the  shops — which 
latter  are  usually  paid  by  the  contractors. 

Health  of  the  Convicts. 

By  the  reports  of  the  prison  physicians  for  several  years 
past,  and  the  remarkably  small  number  usually  under  treat- 
ment in  the  hospital,  its  appears  that  this  prison,  from  its 
excellent  hygienic  management,  ranks  high  in  respect  of  its 
healthf ulness.  The  directors  in  their  report  say,  "  The 
average  health  of  the  prisoners  has  been  better,  in  fact,  than 
an  average  equal  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  surround- 
ing towns." 

In  all  penitentiaries  there  are  criminals  possessing  strange 
and  unaccountable  characteristics ;  but  whatever  their  general 
propensities,  they  are  influenced  by  one  motive  while  in  the 
prison,  which  is  common  to  all  of  them,  and  that  is  a  desire 
to  escape  from  confinement.  But  the  Connecticut  peniten- 
tiary has  furnished  one  singular  exception  to  this  general 
rule,  or  rather  the  rule  has  been  transposed  in  one  singular 
case.  A  young  female  named  Abby  Jane  was  committed  in 
1853  for  the  term  of  four  years,  for  the  crime  of  horse- 
stealing. She  served  out  her  term,  was  duly  discharged,  and 
presented  with  her  former  articles  of  clothing,  etc.;  and 
with  the  present  then  usually  given  to  all  at  their  departure, 
of  two  dollars  in  money.  She  soon  after  obtained  employ- 
ment at  housework  in  the  neighborhood,  and  for  a  while 
appeared  to  behave  herself  well ;  but  at  length  her  former 
habit  of  thieving  predominated,  and  some  of  her  pilfering 
was  detected  by  the  family.  Abby  took  her  leave,  but  soon 
privately  returned,  and  stealing  a  horse-blanket  from  General 
Welles,  living  near  by,  she  ensconced  herself  under  his  barn 
floor,  which  she  appropriated  as  her  lodging  apartment,  with 
the  stolen  blanket  for  her  coverlid.  Here  she  lived  for  sev- 
eral days,  subsisting  upon  whatever  plunder  she  could  get, 
and  by  milking  the  cows  in  the  neighborhood  in  the  night, 
retreating  each  day  to  her  kennel  under  the  barn. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  91 

But  the  remembrance  of  prison  life  had  such  fascinating 
charms,  that  she  contrived  a  plan  to  scale  the  walls,  and  get 
into  the  prison,  bv  climbing  a  tree  which  stood  near.  She 
leaped  down  from  the  top  of  the  wall  into  the  yard  of  the 
female  apartment,  and  secreted  herself  among  the  rubbish  in 
the  wood-pile.  Her  female  cronies,  surprised  and  gratified 
to  enjoy  again  the  company  of  their  cunning  visitor,  clan- 
destinely supplied  her  with  food,  whenever  they  found 
opportunity.  In  this  manner  she  lived  four  or  five  days, 
thieving  whenever  she  could,  and  finally  took  up  her  lodging 
in  an  old  ash-hole,  or  oven.  The  matron  had  missed  pro- 
visions and  other  articles,  and  was  puzzled  to  account  for  the 
loss.  A  general  search  was  made,  when  the  warden,  on  re- 
moving some  pieces  of  refuse  stove-pipe  under  the  oven, 
discovered  the  once  fair  face  of  Abby,  peering  through  the 
sooty  canopy,  and  she  was  again  in  the  clutches  of  the  law. 
No  one,  however,  seemed  willing  to  indict  her  for  the  novel 
crime  of  breaking  into  a  prison,  and  she  was  sentenced  for 
theft  to  the  county  jail  for  one  year.  There  she  served  out 
her  time  and  was  released,  but  soon  after  she  broke  into  a 
dwelling,  and  appropriated  to  herself  a  pair  of  pantaloons, 
containing  in  the  pockets  $500,  besides  other  articles,  for 
which  she  was  again  committed  to  Hartford  jail.  After  her 
term  had  expired,  the  jailor,  relying  on  her  earnest  promises 
of  reformation,  sent  her  into  the  country  to  his  father's 
house,  for  employment.  But  there,  true  to  her  propensity, 
she  again  began  to  steal  and  was  consequently  discharged. 
As  to  her  whereabouts  afterwards  report  says  not. 

Some  of  the  Notorious  Convicts  for  Life. 

William  H.  Greene,  aged  61,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and 
convicted  at  Litchfield  in  1869.  He  had  murdered  his  wife, 
and  committed  other  crimes ;  had  been  an  ordained  clergy- 
man, and  claimed  that  he  had  been  at  one  time  a  presiding 
elder  of  the  Methodist  church.  He  had  been  a  political 
public  speaker,  possessed  of  a  good  education  and  eloquent 
oratorical  powers.  In  this  man's  career  the  fact  is  apparent 
that  mere  education  of  the  brain,  unaccompanied  by  moral 


92  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

influences,  is  of  little  avail  in  restraining  any  being  from 
committing  crime ;  and  it  is  a  positive  error  in  the  manage- 
ment of  some  of  our  schools  and  seminaries  that  this  vital 
subject  is  so  strangely  overlooked. 

Lydia  Sherman,  a  female  convict,  was  born  in  New  Jer- 
sey, and  is  51  years  of  age.  She  was  convicted  at  New 
Haven  in  1873,  of  murder  in  the  second  degree.  By  her 
own  confession  she  had  poisoned  three  husbands  and  four 
of  her  children !  She  seemed  to  possess  a  strange  mono- 
mania for  dispatching  her  nearest  relatives,  and  although 
admitting  that  she  had  always  lived  pleasantly  with  them, 
she  claimed  "  they  were  better  off  in  the  other  world  than  in 
this  one  of  misery."  In  her  appearance  she  seemed  like  a 
simple,  harmless  woman,  and  said  she  "  was  in  as  comfortable 
a  situation  as  she  could  reasonably  expect."  The  fact  that 
her  family  was  very  poor,  and  that  she  had  murdered  seven 
of  them,  probably  impressed  the  jury  with  the  idea  that  she 
was  partially  insane,  which  induced  them  to  render  the  sin- 
gular verdict  of  murder  in  the  second  degree. 

The  annals  of  crime  do  not,  perhaps,  afford  a  character 
more  remarkable  for  perversity  and  desperation  than  that  of 
a  convict  by  the  name  of  Dave  Kentley,  alias  James  Wilson 
and  several  other  aliases  which  he  had  at  various  times 
assumed.  This  fiend  in  human  form,  while  in  prison,  mur- 
dered Warden  Willard,  in  1870. 

He  was  born  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  was  47  years  of  age 
when  he  committed  the  murder.  He  said  he  had  never 
attended  school  a  day  in  his  life;  and  the  return  of  his 
parents  to  Ireland  left  him  here  without  parental  control. 

In  justification  of  his  propensities  he  claimed  that  all  boys 
are  born  natural  thieves  ^nd  robbers,  and  only  need  the 
opportunity  to  develop,  as  he  had,  their  perverse  natures. 
He  took  his  first  lessons  in  crime  in  a  small  way,  at  the  Five 
Points,  New  York,  when  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age ;  and, 
connecting  himself  with  other  desperadoes,  he  was  afterwards 
engaged  in  robberies  at  Philadelphia,  New  York  New  Lon- 
don, Hartford,  and  some  cities  at  the  West. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  93 

He  had,  during  his  career,  escaped  from  four  prisons  in 
different  states.  In  escaping  from  prison  in  Michigan,  in 
the  winter  season,  he  had  frozen  both  his  feet,  and  was 
obliged  to  suffer  partial  amputation. 

In  1851  he  was  convicted  of  burglary,  and  sent  to  Wethers- 
field  prison  for  six  years  ;  and  at  the  time  of  the  murder  was 
serving  his  second  term  for  a  similar  offence.  There  he  made 
two  attempts  to  escape,  but  was  discovered  by  Warden  Wil- 
lard ;  for  this  he  swore  vengeance  against  him.  In  some 
way  he  procured  a  knife-blade,  which  he  secreted  about  his 
person,  and  which,  in  his  cell  on  Sunday,  he  fastened  to  the 
end  of  a  cane  that  had  been  kindly  allowed  him  on  account 
of  his  lameness.  He  then  sent  for  the  warden,  and  re- 
quested him  to  read  from  a  slate  on  which  something  was 
written,  and  while  warden  Willard  was  thus  engaged,  Wilson 
stabbed  him  in  the  abdomen,  inflicting  a  w^ound  from  which 
he  died  in  about  four  hours.  While  in  Hartford  jail,  during 
his  trial  for  this  murder,  he  tried  to  escape,  and  also  made 
an  attempt  to  jump  from  the  wagon,  on  the  way  to  the  court- 
house. 

Upon  his  trial  he  made  an  able  speech  to  the  jury  in  self, 
defence.  He  wrote  a  long  petition  to  the  General  Assembly 
for  commutation  of  sentence,  and  also  wrote  a  curious  letter 
to  Governor  English.  He  heard  his  death-sentence  with  a 
contemptuous  sneer,  for  he  declared  he  should  never  be 
hanged. 

On  account  of  his  desperate  adroitness  he  was  confined  in 
an  iron  cell ;  and  seeing  there  no  possible  chance  of  escape, 
he  tried  to  commit  suicide  by  starvation.  He  refused  to 
take  one  morsel  of  food  for  nine  and  a  half  days,  and  drank 
water  but  once  in  that  time !  He  also  tried  the  second  time 
to  starve  himself,  but  after  a  fast  of  six  days,  food  was  in- 
jected into  him,  which  prolonged  his  miserable  life  for  the 
gallows.  Determined  to  verify  his  vow  that  he  never  would 
be  hung,  he  had  taken  out  a  piece  of  wire  about  three  inches 
long  from  the  rim  of  his  basin,  which  he  rolled  in  a  piece  of 
leather  and  hid  in  his  body,  and  to  which  he  attached  a  string 


94  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTIUT. 

for  puUiDg  it  out  when  necessary.  In  the  morning  of  the 
fatal  Friday  on  which  he  was  to  be  hung  he  took  the  con- 
cealed wire,  which  he  sharpened  on  the  walls  of  his  cell,  and 
drove  it  into  his  heart  so  deep  that  he  could  not  withdraw  it, 
which  latter  circumstance  probably  stayed  the  flow  of  blood 
from  the  heart,  and  prevented  immediate  death.  In  his 
weak  condition  he  was  carried  to  the  gallows,  and  when  in 
his  last  moments  he  was  asked  if  he  wished  to  say  anything, 
replied,  "  I  shall  say  but  few  words  to-day  ;  a  man  with  three 
inches  of  steel  in  his  heart  can't  say  much,  nor  be  expected 
to !  "  Thus  was  this  desperate  fiend  swung  from  the  gallows, 
with  the  steel  in  his  obdurate  heart  of  steel — an  anomaly  in 
the  records  of  crime  ! 

Gerald  Toole  was  convicted  at  Kew  Haven,  in  1860,  of 
arson,  and  sentenced  to  the  State  ^jrison  for  life,  and  in  1862, 
while  in  prison,  he  murdered  the  warden,  Daniel  Webster. 
For  this  he  was  sentenced  to  be  hung,  and  a  short  time  before 
his  execution  he  wrote  a  history  of  his  life,  and  the  reasons 
which  impelled  him  to  commit  the  murder.  His  mother  died 
in  Ireland  when  he  was  a  child,  and  in  1858,  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  he  emigrated  to  America,  where  for  two  years  he 
roamed  about  New  Haven,  often  being  thrown  into  bad 
company,  and  contracting  bad  habits.  He  at  length  hired  a 
small  liquor-store,  which  was  soon  after  set  on  fire  and 
partly  burned ;  a  reward  of  $200  was  offered  for  the  dis- 
covery and  conviction  of  the  offender.  Young  Toole 
asserted  that  the  hope  of  getting  the  reward  induced  others 
to  swear  falsely  against  him,  to  secure  his  conviction.  On 
his  trial  he  pleaded  not  guilty,  and  his  counsel  made  an  able 
defence,  but  it  was  of  no  avail,  and  he  was  sentenced, 
whether  justly  or  unjustly,  for  life.  At  the  prison  he  was 
placed  in  the  shoe-shop,  and  for  not  performing  his  full 
allotted  daily  task  (which  he  asserted  was  more  than  he  was 
able  to  perform),  he  was  severely  flogged,  and  the  same  task 
required  of  him  next  day.  Perceiving  no  hope  of  a  cessation 
in  his  daily  miseries,  and  goaded  to  desperation,  he  contrived 
to  secrete  a  pointed  shoe-knife  about  his  person,  with  which 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  96 

to  kill  the  officer  should  another  attempt  be  made  to  flog  him. 
On  the  day  of  the  murder  he  either  wilfully  refused  or  was 
physically  unable  to  do  the  amount  required  of  him ;  and 
the  warden  entering  the  shop  near  the  close  of  the  day  and 
seeing  his  task  not  completed,  ordered  him  to  be  again 
whipped.  Toole  then  suddenly  sprang  upon  Captain  Web- 
ster, and  plunged  the  knife  into  his  chest  and  abdomen, 
inflicting  wounds  from  which  he  died  the  next  day.  Toole 
was  tried  in  May,  1862,  and  sentenced  to  be  hanged  on  the 
19th  of  September  following,  on  which  day  the  execution 
took  place  in  Hartford  jail.     He  was  but  ii4  years  of  age. 

The  pamphlet  which  he  wrote  was  extensively  read,  and 
enlisted  much  public  sympathy  in  his  favor.  It  also  caused 
investigation  to  be  made  into  the  alleged  cruelties  of  the 
prison,  and  produced,  to  some  extent,  a  relaxation  of  the 
rigorous  discipline  which  had  been  previously  enforced. 

The  following  statistics  have  been  furnished  for  this  work 
by  the  present  efficient  warden,  E.  B.  Hewes  Esq.: — 

263  is  the  present  number  of  convicts,  March  25th,  1876.  There  are  12  more 
in  the  county  jails  under  sentence,  and  soon  to  be  placed  in  the  prison,  making 
the  whole  number  264. 

White  males, 221        Under  20  years  of  age,    ....      29 

"       females 3        From  20  to  30    "     "      ....      147 

Colored  males, 27  "     30  "  40    "     '' 42 

"       females, 1  *'     40  "  50    "     "     .     .    .    .       20 

Over  50  ''     " 14 

CRIMES. 

AsBualt  with  intent  to  kill, 13 

Murder, 2 

"       in  2nd  degree, 18 

Manslaughter, 5 

Attempt  at  rape, 7 

Assault  with  intent  at  rape, 4 

Rape, 5 

Assaulting  a  superior  officer, 3 

Burglary, 55 

Burglary  and  theft, 5 

Breaking  and  entering, •    .     .    .    .     17 

Burning  a  barn, 4 

Bigamy, 4 

Drunkeness,  disobedience  of  orders  &c., 7 

Dersertion 12 


96  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

Horse  stealing, 13 

Arson, 3 

Placing  obstructions  on  R.  R.  track, 4 

Robbery, 17 

Theft, 30 

"     from  the  person, 12 

Robbing  mail, 1 

Breaking  jail, 1 

Mailing  obscene  matter, 1 

Passing  counterfeit  money, 1 

There  are  in  confinement  for  life  twenty-nine  prisoners, 
which  is  said  to  be  a  larger  number  proportionally  than  in 
any  other  penitentiary  in  the  United  States.  Included  in 
the  above  list  are  twenty-seven  United  States'  convicts,  for 
which  the  general  government  pays  this  state  $2.50  per  week 
for  the  maintenance  of  each. 

Daily  Koutine  of  Duty  performed  at  the  Connecticut 
State  Prison  by  the  Officers. 

At  daylight  the  bell  is  rung  for  the  officers,  who  immedi- 
ately repair  to  the  guard-room.  When  it  is  sufficiently  light, 
the  deputy-warden  gives  the  signal  for  manning  the  walls, 
and  the  overseers  take  their  keys,  go  to  their  several  divisions, 
and  again  wait  the  signal,  when  they  unlock,  and  march  their 
men,  with  the  lock-step,  to  their  respective  shops.  The  con- 
victs immediately  commence  work,  and  also  begin  at  a  given 
point  in  the  shop  to  wash,  which  each  man  does  in  regular 
order  before  the  breakfast  hour. 

At  7  o'clock  the  bell  is  rung  for  breakfast,  the  convicts 
stop  work,  form  into  a  line  in  their  shops,  and  wait  the  signal 
of  the  bell,  when  they  are  marched  into  the  prison  yard,  and 
form  a  line  in  front  of  their  buckets.  At  the  word  righty 
each  man  turns  to  the  right;  the  word  up  is  given,  and  each 
man  takes  his  bucket  upon  his  left  arm,  when  they  form  into 
sections  in  close  order,  as  marched  from  the  shops ;  and  at 
the  word  forward,  they  march  in  the  same  manner  to  the 
hall,  where  they  are  seated  to  hear  the  reading  of  the  Bible 
and  attend  prayers.  Thence  they  are  marched  round  the 
cells,  take  their  kids  containing  their  breakfast  as  they  pass 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  97 

the  kitchen,  and  are  immediately  locked  np.  Each  officer 
then  reports  the  number  of  men  in  his  charge  to  the  deputy- 
warden,  who,  finding  it  right,  gives  the  signal  of  "All's 
well ! "  the  watchmen  leave  the  wall  and  repair  to  the  guard- 
room ;  all  the  officers  then  go  to  their  meal,  except  one  in 
the  hall,  and  one  in  the  guard-room,  who  are  relieved  in 
turn. 

From  half  to  three-quarters  of  an  hour  is  allowed,  when 
they  are  again,  as  above,  marched  to  their  work,  and  there 
remain  until  twelve  o'clock;  the  signal  is  again  given,  they 
are  again  marched  upon  a  line,  and  in  the  same  manner 
marched  into  and  round  the  hall,  the  same  as  at  breakfast, 
with  the  exception  of  service.  Time  allowed  for  dinner, 
one  hour  in  summer,  and  forty-five  minutes  in  winter.  At 
one  o'clock  they  are  again  marched  to  their  shops,  and  work 
till  six  p.  M.,  when  they  again  form  a  line  in  front  of  their 
buckets ;  the  word  is  given,  "  One  pace  in  the  rear,  march," 
each  convict  steps  one  pace  back ;  the  officer  having  charge 
of  each  division  begins  searching,  by  passing  his  hands  over 
the  arms,  body,  and  legs  of  the  prisoner,  and  as  each  man  is 
searched  he  steps  to  the  front.  When  all  are  again  in  a  line, 
the  word  is  given  to  uncover,  and  each  convict  takes  the 
cover  from  his  night  bucket ;  the  officers  pass  and  examine 
them;  the  words,  cover  —  right  —  up — forward\  and  they 
march  to  the  hall,  attend  prayers,  and  go  to  their  cells,  as  in  the 
morning.  The  officer  then  in  the  hall  lights  up,  examines 
each  lock  and  door,  recounts  the  convicts,  and  reports  the 
mimber  to  the  warden  or  deputy-warden.  At  half  past  seven 
the  signal  is  given,  and  each  convict  retires  to  his  cell ;  the 
officer  again  examines  the  doors,  sees  that  all  are  abed,  and 
is  then  relieved  by  the  overseer,  taking  the  first  tour,  which 
continues  from  eight  to  twelve  o'clock.  He  is  then  relieved 
by  a  watchman,  who  takes  what  is  called  the  middle  tour, 
from  twelve  to  four ;  the  watchman  taking  the  morning  tour, 
then  relieves  him.  The  above  officers  are  required,  while 
doing  duty,  to  be  constantly  on  their  feet,  marching  round 
the  cells  and  upon  the  galleries  to  see  that  all  is  quiet  and  in 


98  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

good  order.  If  any  sickness  or  disorder  takes  place,  he  calls 
the  watchmen,  who  acquaints  the  warden  or  deputy-warden^ 
who  immediately  repairs  to  the  hall,  and  takes  the  necessary 
measures  for  relief  of  the  sick  or  the  suppression  of  disorder. 

Duties  of  the  Subordinate  Officers. 

The  Deputy-warden  takes  the  principal  charge  of  the  inter- 
nal affairs,  under  the  direction  of  the  warden ;  spends  the  whole 
day  in  visiting  the  several  shops  and  departments ;  sees  that 
every  officer  performs  his  duty ;  attends  to  the  wants  and 
complaints  of  the  convicts;  and  has  a  constant  supervision 
of  all  the  internal  operations. 

The  Clerk  assists  the  warden  in  keeping  the  books  and 
other  writing:  attends  generally  to  the  transportation  of 
convicts  from  the  county  jails  ;  and  when  not  thus  engaged, 
performs  such  other  duties  as  are  required  of  him  by  the 
warden. 

The  Overseers,  after  performing  the  duty  of  marching  the 
convicts,  as  above  described,  to  their  shops,  remain  constantly 
in  them,  with  their  men.  They  are  not  allowed  to  sit  down, 
but  must  not  only  remain  on  their  feet,  but  also  exercise  the 
utmost  vigilance  in  seeing  that  their  men  work  diligently, 
in  order,  and  silence.  In  case  of  sickness  or  disobedience, 
they  are  required  to  send  immediately  for  the  warden  or  his 
deputy ;  they  also  report  in  writing,  before  nine  o'clock  a.  m., 
all  who  express  a  wish  to  see  the  physician. 

The  "Watchmen  are  employed,  all  the  time,  in  duty  upon 
the  walls,  in  the  guard-room  hall,  and  hospital,  and  in  wait- 
ing upon  spectators  who  visit  the  prison ;  they  are  not 
allowed  to  sit,  read,  or  write,  while  upon  any  post  of  duty. 

The  Gate-keeper  has  the  care  of  the  gate  leading  into  the 
yard,  and  takes  charge  of  the  out-door  hands  and  work. 

The  convicts  have  at  all  times  free  and  unrestrained  access 
to  the  warden,  and  can,  whenever  they  desire  to  do  so,  see  and 
converse  with  the  director,  or  directors,  when  they  visit  the 
prison,  but  not  in  the  presence  of  other  convicts.  All  punish- 
ments  are   inflicted   by   the   warden    or  his   deputy.      No 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  99 

subordinate  officer  is  allowed  to  leave  the  prison  day  or  night, 
without  permission  of  the  warden,  or  in  his  absence,  the 
deputy-warden. 

Daily  E-ations. 

For  breakfast,  six  days  in  the  week,  hash. 

"     dinner  on  Monday,  corned  beef  and  potatoes. 

'•''         "        "    Tuesday,  pork  and  beans. 

*'         "        '*   Wednesday,  soup. 

"        "   Thursday,  corned  beef  and  potatoes. 

*•         "        ''    Friday,  fish. 

•'         '•'        ''    Saturday,  fresh  meat  stew. 

''     supper,  mush  and  milk,  or  mush  and  molasses. 
Coifee  each  morning,  and  sufficient  bread  to  each  ration. 

Historical  Sketches  of  East  Granby. 

This  town  includes  within  its  limits  the  old  Copper  Hill 
caverns,  and  contains  many  of  the  relics  of  the  copper- 
mining  operations.  Here  were  enacted  all  the  tragical 
scenes  of  Tory  imprisonment  during  the  Revolution ;  and 
for  fifty-four  years  afterward  this  town  furnished  the  sole 
prison  for  Connecticut  State  convicts.  It  was  set  off  chiefly 
from  Granby,  and  in  part  from  Suffield  and  Windsor  Locks, 
in  1858  ;  Granby  having  been  set  off  from  Simsbury  in  1786, 
and  Simsbury  from  Windsor,  in  1670.  Thus  it  appears,  these 
towns  were  incorporated  at  periods  respectively  about  a  cen- 
tury apart. 

The  early  history  of  East  Granby  is  involved  in  that  of 
the  bordering  towns,  so  that  a  general  sketch  of  them  all 
might  seem  proper ;  but  the  prescribed  limits  of  this  work 
do  not  admit  of  very  extended  mention  of  each,  however 
desirable  it  might  be.  Being  one  of  the  youngest  towns  in 
the  State,  its  official  archives  do  not  afford  material  for 
voluminous  history. 

The  ancient  Indian  name  of  that  portion  of  East  Granby, 
Granby,  and  Simsbury  lying  on  or  near  Farmington  river, 
and  embracing  Copper  Hill,  was  Massaco  (Mas-sah^-co).  li 
certainly  would  have  been  no  disparagement  to  those  towns 


100  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

had  the  ancient  name  been  continued ;  and  the  Tunxis  river* 
which  runs  through  that  section  would  have  flowed  just  as 
sweetly  and  sounded  as  euphoniously  as  by  its  later  christen- 
ing, Farmington.  It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  in  later 
years,  with  better  sense,  the  old  and  honored  Indian  names 
have  been  retained  in  the  settlement  of  many  of  our  western 
towns,  states,  and  territories. 

The  fertile  valleys  in  Massaco,  the  abundance  of  fish — 
especially  salmon — the  great  quantity  of  game,  and  the  up- 
land productions  of  pitch,  tar,  and  turpentine,  attracted  at  a 
very  early  period  the  people  of  Windsor ;  and  they  were  the 
first  colonists  who  settled  in  Massaco. 

In  1642 — about  six  years  after  the  first  settlement  of 
Windsor — the  first  sale  of  Massaco  land  is  recorded  as  fol- 
lows: 

It  is  ordered  that  the  Governor  and  Mr.  Haynes  shall  have  liberty  to  dispose 
of  the  land  upon  that  part  of  the  Tunxis  river  called  Massaco^  to  such  indi- 
viduals of  Windsor  as  they  shall  see  cause.'* 

In  the  early  disposition  of  large  tracts  of  land  by  the 
infant  colony  the  price  was  merely  nominal,  and  often  a  free 
grant  in  consideration  of  the  advantage  of  outpost  settle- 
ments as  a  protection  against  Indian  intrusions. 

The  first  Indian  deed  of  land  in  Massaco  was  given  by  the 
Indian  chief  Manahanoose  to  John  Grifiin,  in  1648;  and  the 
consideration  was  that  the  Indians  had  destroyed  a  quantity 
of  pitch  and  tar  owned  by  Grifiin.  But,  as  in  other  Indian 
bargains,  the  title  seemed  to  have  been  as  uncertain  as  the 
boundary  was  indefinite ;  for  soon  after,  it  appears  that  Mr. 
GriflBn  obtained  another  conveyance  of  the  same  territory 
from  three  other  chiefs  who  also  claimed  ownership.  From 
various  circumstances  it  would  seem  that  the  area  thus  pur- 
chased comprised  a  large  part  of  what  is  now  East  Granby, 
Simsbury,  and  Granby,  extending  northward  to  "  Southwick 
Ponds,"  and  the  term  "  more  or  less "  was  very  liberally 
construed.  This  grant  from  the  Indians  of  so  large  an 

extent  of  country  seemed  to  trouble  the  other  Indian  sachems^ 


*  Indian  signification— Little  Crane  River. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  101 

which  induced  Griffin  some  years  later  to  endorse  over  his 
title  to  a  committee  of  the  plantation  at  Windsor — which 
town  claimed  a  general  right  to  the  whole  territory.  This 
committee  was  authorized  "to  lay  out  all  those  lands  that 
are  yet  undivided  at  Massaco  to  such  inhabitants  of  Windsor 
as  desire  and  need  it."  The  General  Court  of  the  colony 
granted  two  hundred  acres  of  this  to  Griffin  again,  in  con- 
sideration "  that  he  was  the  first  that  perfected  the  art  of 
making  pitch  and  tar  in  those  parts." 

This,  with  other  large  grants,  comprised  many  hundred 
acres  owned  by  Griffin  in  the  region  of  the  Tunxis,  making, 
it  is  said,  a  tract  three  miles  square,  which  is  known,  even  at 
this  day,  as  "  Griffin's  Lordship."  It  lies  within  the  present 
limits  of  East  Granby,  Salmon  Brook,  and  Tariffville.  Mr. 
Griffin  was  a  man  of  considerable  note,  was  a  sergeant  in 
the  "  train-band,"  so  termed  then,  and  held  some  civil  offices. 
He  carried  on  the  pitch  and  tar  business  in  the  pine-forests 
for  many  years — sometimes  in  company  with  others — finding 
a  ready  sale  for  his  products  to  the  British,  for  use  in  their 
navy.  This  branch  of  business  in  the  colonies  was  encour- 
aged by  the  mother  country,  while  nearly  every  other  kind 
of  manufacture  was  encumbered  with  taxation,  so  as  to  pre- 
vent competition  with  her  artisans  at  home. 

Whether  by  accident  or  design,  the  savages  set  fire  to  Mr. 
Griffin's  pitch  and  tar.  To  intimidate  them  from  further 
depredations,  it  is  said  he  called  them  together  one  day  and 
positively  assured  them  that  if  they  gave  him  any  further 
trouble  he  would  burn  up  the  Tunxis  river  and  destroy  all 
their  fishing !  To  prove  his  miraculous  power  he  dipped  a 
bottle  of  spirit  into  the  river,  pretending  to  fill  it  with  water. 
Then,  with  certain  incantations,  pouring  its  contents  on  to  a 
log,  he  set  fire  to  it — which  wonderful  deed  inspired  the  sav- 
ages with  such  a  fear  of  his  omnipotent  vengeance,  that  they 
manifested  a  due  respect  for  him  ever  afterwards. 

The  Indians  in  East  Granby  and  other  parts  of  Massaco 
and  Windsor  were  generally  friendly  to  the  white  settlers — 
their  confidence  having  been  gained  by  kindness  and  usually 


102  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

fair  treatment  in  all  business  transactions.  Their  prevailing 
passion  for  hunting  was  very  useful  to  the  colonists,  who 
employed  them  to  hunt  wolves  with  which  the  country  was 
then  sadly  infested.     In  January,  1669,  it  was — 

"Voted,  to  allow  the  Indians  for  every  wolf  they  kill  and  bring  their  heads 
in,  wampum  at  6  a  penny  10  shilling's ;  and  they  that  pay  it  to  them  must  take 
up  in  our  pay  among  ourselves  with  5  shillings." 

So  that  it  appears  the  wampum  of  the  red-man  was  con- 
sidered as  rather  below  par — perhaps  bearing  a  relation  to 
our  present  paper  wampum,  when  estimated  by  the  standard 
of  gold  and  silver. 

The  Indians  were  conscious  that  their  most  dangerous 
enemies  were  the  powerful,  warlike  tribes  living  in  Rhode 
Island  and  Massuchusetts,  and  they  felt  that  their  security 
in  part  depended  upon  making  common  cause  with  the 
settlers  against  them.  The  latter  made  a  treaty  with  the 
friendly  Indians  in  1675,  stipulating  to  pay  them  two  yards 
of  cloth  for  the  head  of  an  enemy  killed  by  them,  and  four 
yards  if  delivered  alive. 

In  the  spring  following  several  towns  in  Massachusetts 
were  pillaged  and  destroyed  by  the  Indians,  and  many  of  the 
people  were  massacred.  This  alarmed  the  settlers  of  Mas- 
eaco,  for  they  knew  not  in  what  hour  the  dreaded  war-whoop 
might  sound  in  their  ears.  The  people  were  ordered  to  work 
in  companies,  armed,  and  to  carry  arms  to  service  on  Sun- 
days. Two  or  three  houses  (or  forts)  had  been  built  at  East 
Granby,  the  walls  of  which  were  filled  with  brick  to  resist 
attacks  from  the  savages.  To  these  the  people  fled  for  safety 
at  every  alarm. 

The  danger  finally  became  so  imminent  that  all  the  settlers 
in  Simsbury  fled  to  Windsor  for  safety ;  and  the  savages 
came  down  from  Massachusetts  on  the  26th  of  March,  1676, 
(200  years  ago)  and  burned  nearly  every  house  in  that  part 
of  Massaco,  with  all  the  furniture,  crops,  fences — in  fact, 
everything  they  could  not  carry  off.  This  roused  the  spirit 
of  the  settlers,  and  they  resolved  to  subdue  or  exterminate 
them.  Several  companies  of  volunteers  were  organized  in 
Windsor,  Massaco,  and  neighboring  places,  and  with  some 


KING  PHILIP. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  103 

friendly  Indians  the  war  was  prosecuted  with  vigor.  Ten  or 
twelve  expeditions  were  made  by  the  colony  in  less  than  four 
months.  The  results  of  that  campaign  are  well  known. 
Two  hundred  and  thirty  Indians  were  killed  or  captured; 
quantities  of  grain  and  muskets  were  taken  ;  Xing  Thilip, 
the  chieftain  warrior,  was  pursued  to  Mount  Hope  in  Rhode 
Island  and  killed ;  his  only  son  was  sold  as  a  slave  to  the 
Bermudas ;  and  his  once  powerful  tribe  was  swept  from  the 
face  of  the  earth. 

But  other  hostile  tribes  still  remained  in  this  region ;  and 
for  nearly  half  a  century  afterwards  the  inhabitants  were  in 
constant  dread  of  attacks  from  the  red-skins.  As  late  as 
172i,  houses  and  fortifications  were  maintained  in  a  state  of 
defense  at  Simsbury,  Salmon  Brook,  and  East  Granby.  At 
the  latter  place  a  garrison  of  nine  men  was  kept  on  duty, 
and  a  line  of  scouts  was  kept  up  between  there  and  Litch- 
field to  guard  against  surprises  from  the  Massachusetts  tribes. 

The  following  illustrates  some  of  the  peculiar  methods 
adopted  to  hunt  down  the  Indians,  by  which  it  appears  that 
the  canine  race  were  in  better  favor  than  the  breeds  of  gen- 
erally worthless  curs  of  these  days : 

*^It  is  ordered  and  enacted  by  this  Assembly : — 

"  That  there  shall  be  allowed  and  paid  out  of  the  publick  treasury  of  this 
Colony,  the  sum  of  fifty  pounds  in  pay,  for  the  bringing  up  and  maintaining  of 
Dogs  in  the  northern  frontier  towns  in  this  Colony,  to  hunt  after  the  Indian 
enemy,  and  to  be  improved  and  ordered  for  that  end  by  the  Committee  of  War 
in  the  county  of  Hartford,  according  to  their  discretion,  as  soon  as  may  be,  who 
are  to  procure  as  many  dogs  as  tliat  money  will  allow,  to  be  always  ready  for  the 
Colony's  service  against  the  common  enemy." 

The  following  interesting  narrative  was  written  by  the  late 
Noah  A.  Phelps  some  years  ago.  It  illustrates  the  state  of 
constant  apprehension  endured  by  our  ancestors  while  the 
crafty,  vindictive  lords  of  the  forest  were  prowling  about  the 
country. 

Captivity  of  Daniel  Hayes  by  the  Indians. 

In  the  fall  of  1707,  Daniel  Hayes,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years,  was  taken  by  the  Indians  and  carried  captive  into 
Canada.  He  resided  at  Salmon  Brook,  now  the  central  part 
of  Granby,  which,  being  at  that  time  the  northern  point  of 


104  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

settlement  in  the  town,  was  peculiarly  exposed  to  sudden 
invasions  by  the  Indians.  The  circumstances  attending  this 
transaction,  as  preserved  by  tradition,  are  as  follows."^ 

Some  two  or  three  years  before  Hayes  was  taken,  he  was 
at  a  house-raising  in  Weatauge,  when,  very  inconsiderately, 
and  out  of  mere  wanton  sport,  he  cut  off  the  tail  of  a  dog 
belonging  to  an  Indian,  who,  a  stranger  and  entirely  unknown, 
happened  to  be  present.  The  master  of  the  dog,  though  he 
uttered  no  complaint,  manifested  such  emotions  of  ill  will 
and  revenge,  that  Hayes,  before  they  separated,  deemed  it 
prudent  for  himself  to  attempt  to  pacify  him.  He  sought 
therefore  a  reconciliation,  by  proposing  to  drink  together, 
and  offered,  moreover,  reparation  for  the  injury.  But  the 
Indian  rejected  all  overtures,  and  left  the  ground,  evidently 
in  a  surly  and  unreconciled  mood  of  mind,  and,  probably, 
with  malice  and  revenge  deeply  impressed  upon  his  heart. 
Nothing  afterwards  being  heard  of  the  Indian  or  his  dog, 
and  the  circumstance  if  not  forgotten,  became  unheeded.  But 
the  events  which  follow  were  supposed  to  result  from  this 
affair.f 

On  the  evening  before  his  capture,  there  was  a  corn-husk- 
ing party  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Hayes,  when  in  the  course  of 
conversation,  be  remarked  that  early  in  the  ensuing  morn- 
ing, he  should  endeavor  to  find  his  horse,  which  was  feeding 
in  the  forests,  and,  as  supposed,  westerly  of  the  settlement. 


*The  materials  from  which  this  account  is  compiled,  were  obligingly  com- 
municated to  the  author  by  Samuel  H.  Woodruff  and  Arden  B.  Holcomb 
Esq'rs,  of  Granby.  Of  the  general  correctness  of  the  narrative,  no  reasonable 
doubt  can  be  entertained, — as  the  facts  have  been  derived,  not  only  from  the 
descendants  of  Mr.  Hayes,  but  also  from  several  aged  people,  all  of  whom 
concur  in  their  statements  regarding  the  main  and  important  features  of  the 
transaction. 

tThus  goes  the  story.  But  the  author  must  be  allowed  to  say  for  himself, 
that  he  very  much  doubts  whether  this  affair  had  anything  to  do  with  the 
capture  of  Hayes,  which  took  place  some  years  afterwards.  The  Indians,  it  is 
well-known,  were  incited  to  such  deeds  by  the  French  In  Canada,  to  whom  they 
carried  their  captives,  and  by  whom,  as  is  supposed,  they  were  rewarded  for  the 
service.  The  more  correct  supposition  probably  is,  that  the  captors  came  into 
this  weak  settlement,  to  seize  and  carry  off  any  person  who  might  be  thrown  in 
their  way,  and  that  they  would  have  taken  as  readily  any  other  person  as  Hayes, 
if  an  opportunity  equally  as  favorable  had  occurred. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  105 

This  conversation,  as  appears  from  the  sequel,  was  overheard 
by  Indians  who  were  at  that  time  hirking  about  the  house, 
and  who  it  is  sujjposed  from  the  information  thus  obtained, 
devised  their  plans  of  operation  for  the  next  morning. 

After  the  family  had  retired  and  were  asleep,  they  were 
awakened  by  the  barking  of  their  dog,  which  manifested  so 
much  uneasiness  as  to  induce  Mr.  Hayes  to  leave  his  bed, 
and  with  his  dog,  to  seek  for  the  cause.  Supposing  the 
disturbance  to  have  proceeded  from  the  incursion  of  cattle 
into  the  corn-field  contiguous  to  his  house,  (an  ordinary 
occurrence  in  those  days,)  and  finding  it  unmolested,  he 
again  sought  repose  in  sleep.  But  the  dog  continued  restive, 
and  plainly  made  known  by  his  conduct,  that  there  was  some- 
thing wrong  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  house. 

The  next  morning  at  an  early  hour,  Mr.  Hayes,  taking 
with  him  a  bridle,  proceeded  into  the  forests  to  find  his 
horse.  His  route  led  him  to  pass  Stoney  Hill,  a  ridge  of 
land  stretching  north  and  south  about  eighty  rods  westerly 
of  Salmon  Brook  street.  Upon  turning  round  the  south  point 
of  this  hill,  he  was  seized  by  three  Indians,  who  sprang  upon 
him  from  an  ambush  where  they  had  secreted  themselves 
from  view.  So  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  came  this  attack 
upon  Hayes,  that  he  was  deprived  of  all  power  to  make 
resistance,  or  even  any  attempt  to  escape.  One  Indian 
seized  him  by  the  throat — another  enjoined  silence  by 
putting  a  hand  over  his  mouth — whilst  the  other  with  a 
tomahawk  raised  over  his  head,  enforced  obedience  and 
submission.  They  immediately  bound  his  hands  at  his  back, 
with  the  throat-latch  of  the  bridle,  and  with  their  captive 
hastily  left  the  place,  taking  their  course  in  a  northern 
direction. 

Another  account  states  that  Hayes  was  acccompanied  by  a 
Mr.  Lamson,  who  being  an  agile  and  atheletic  man,  outran 
the  Indians  and  effected  his  escape ;  that  the  number  of 
Indians  belonging  to  the  party,  amounted  to  five  or  more ; 
and  that  the  transaction  was  witnessed  by  a  Mrs.  Holcomb, 
wife   of   Nathaniel  Holcomb,  who  was  in   the  fields  that 


106  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

morning  milking,  bnt  who,  from  considerations  relating  to 
her  own  safety,  was  deterred  from  returning  home,  or  giving 
an  alarm,  until  the  Indians  with  their  captive  had  left  the 
place. 

Yerj  soon,  however,  the  usual  alarm  was  spread,  and  a 
force  was  raised  sufficient  to  make  pursuit.  Immediate 
effort  was  made  to  relieve  the  captive,  and  punish  the  ag- 
gressors; and  notice  of  the  calamity  having  been  sent 
to  Windsor,  a  larger  force  came  to  the  rescue  from  that  town. 
The  route  taken  by  the  Indians  was  found  and  traced,  and  at 
times  the  marks  of  their  tracks  appeared  so  fresh,  that  strong 
hopes  were  entertained  of  overtaking  them.  But  their  supe- 
rior cunning  in  such  exploits,  with  their  fleetness  in  passing 
through  the  w^ilderness  enabled  them  to  avoid  their  pursuers, 
and  escape  with  their  prisoner. 

In  the  meantime  Hayes,  knowing  that  any  symptoms  of 
lagging  on  his  part  would  probably  cost  him  his  life,  and 
supposing,  moreover,  that  in  no  event  would  his  captors,  if 
closely  pursued,  suffer  him  to  live,  exerted  himself  to  keep 
up  with  them.  And  he  soon  found  he  could  do  this  without 
much  fatigue,  for  he  was  robust,  and  accustomed  to  such 
travelling.  On  one  occasion  during  this  journey,  when  his 
companions  wished  to  test  his  fleetness,  he  outstripped  them 
so  far  that  they  were  on  the  point  of  shooting  him  to  stop 
his  progress.  He  might  then  have  escaped,  as  he  afterwards 
said,  "  if  he  had  had  his  thoughts  about  him." 

On  the  first  night  after  his  capture,  the  party  encamped 
at  the  foot  of  Sodom  mountain.  Hayes  was  secured  during 
the  night,  by  being  placed  upon  his  back  with  each  arm  and 
ankle  strongly  fastened  to  a  sapling,  and  with  sticks  so  crossing 
his  body  as  to  be  lain  upon  by  an  Indian  on  each  side.  He 
passed  most  of  the  nights  bound  in  this  manner,  during  his 
long  march  to  Canada.  On  the  second  day  the  party  crossed 
Connecticut  river,  by  fording  and  swimming,  and  spent  the 
ensuing  night  at  the  base  of  Mount  Holyoke. 

In  this  manner  they  proceeded  from  day  to  day,  up  the 
valley  of  Connecticut  river  and  through  the  wilderness,  on 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  107 

their  route  to  Canada.  Many  incidents  occurred  which 
Hayes  used  to  relate.  One  evening,  the  little  savages  belong- 
ing to  a  village  where  the  party  had  stopped,  annoyed  him 
by  tickling  his  feet  as  he  lay  before  a  lire  with  his  arms 
pinioned  as  usual.  Bearing  this  annoyance  as  long  as  his 
patience  would  allow,  he  attempted  to  get  rid  of  his  torment- 
ors by  using  his  feet  in  self-defense — during  which  process 
some  of  them  were  kicked  into  the  fire.  He  expected  noth- 
ing short  of  death  for  this  aggression,  but  was  agreeably 
surprised  when  the  fathers  of  the  burnt  children,  instead  of 
offering  violence,  patted  him  on  his  shoulders  and  exclaimed 
"boon!"* 

They  were  nearly  thirty  days  on  this  journey,  during  all 
which  time  the  sufferings  of  poor  Hayes  were  excessive,  and 
almost  without  intermission.  Subjected  to  hard  toil  through 
each  day,  with  no  sustenance  save  what  the  forests  and 
rivers  furnished,  and  deprived  at  night  of  rest  by  the  man- 
ner of  binding  his  limbs,  he  had  that  to  sustain  which  in 
most  cases  would  have  brought  the  sufferer  to  the  grave. 
But  Hayes  if  he  must  be  a  victim,  determined  that  he  at 
least  would  not  voluntarily  contribute  to  hasten  the  sacrifice. 
He  possessed  that  happy  faculty  of  making  at  all  times,  the 
best  of  his  condition.  His  cheerfulness,  though  assumed — 
his  ability  to  endure  fatigue  and  hardships — and  his  apparent 
stoical  indifference  to  his  fate,  secured  the  good  opinion  of 
his  comrades,  and  tended  to  lighten  his  burdens,  and  possi- 
bly, to  prolong  his  life.  Indulgence  in  despondency  could 
bring  no  relief,  and  would  as  he  well  knew,  but  render  more 
bitter  the  cup  of  his  afflictions.  He  very  wisely  therefore 
made  up  his  mind  "to  make  a  virtue  of  necessity,"  by  sub- 
mitting with  the  best  possible  grace  to  that  fate  which  he 
too  well  knew  awaited  him. 

The  Indians  told  him,  on  the  journey,  of  their  lying  about 


*If  this  word  is  correctly  handed  down,  it  was  intended  probably,  for  the 
French  word  6<m,  and  nsed  on  this  occasion  to  express  approbation.  The 
northern  Indians,  at  this  time  were  in  the  habit  of  using  a  few  words  deriyed 
from  the  French. 


108  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

his  house  on  the  night  before  he  was  taken,  and  of  overhear- 
ing the  conversation  relating  to  his  intention  to  proceed,  on 
the  next  morning,  into  the  wilderness  to  find  his  horse; 
which  information,  thus  obtained,  induced  them  to  lie  in 
wait  at  Stoney  Hill  in  order  to  capture  him. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  great  Indian  encampment  on  the 
borders  of  Canada,  the  prisoner  was  delivered  over  to  the 
council  of  the  nation,  to  be  disposed  of  as  they  should 
adjudge.  By  their  decision,  he  was  doomed  to  undergo  the 
painful  ordeal  of  "  running  the  gauntlet.''^  Being  stripped 
to  his  skin,  and  annointed  according  to  custom,  he  commenced 
the  course;  and  after  many  flagellations  and  hard  knocks 
received,  when  approaching  near  the  end  of  the  line,  being 
exhausted  and  faint,  he  bolted  from  the  course  to  avoid  a 
blow  from  an  upraised  war-club,  and  sought  safety  by  fleecing 
into  a  wigwam,  at  the  door  of  which  sat  a  superannuated  and 
infirm  squaw.  He  was  pursued,  but  the  squaw  proclaimed 
the  house  sacred,  and  its  inmates  protected  from  injury.  By 
her  intercession,  and  especially  by  the  deference  paid  to  a 
place  thus  sanctified  according  to  the  rites  of  Indian  supersti- 
tion, "the  appetite  of  the  savage  for  blood  was  stayed." 

The  squaw,  whose  husband  and  only  son  had  fallen  in  war, 
claimed  the  captive,  and  adopted  him  as  her  son.  She  was 
destitute,  and  so  infirm  as  to  be  unable  to  walk.  Haynes,  in 
addition  to  minor  duties,  was  compelled  to  provide  for  her 
sustenance  and  fuel.  He  administered  to  her  wants,  and 
devoted  to  her  the  kindest  attentions, — and  she,  in  return, 
evinced  her  gratitude,  by  calling  him  her  son  !  He  lived  in 
this  family  about  five  years:  and  although,  during  this  time, 
he  fared  better,  perhaps,  than  most  Indian  captives,  yet 
existence,  in  his  then  condition,  had  for  him  but  few  charms, 
and  the  future  unveiled  to  his  view  no  cheering  prospect. 
He  was  in  bondage,  compelled  to  adopt  the  customs  and 
modes  of  life  of  savages,  and  was  deprived  of  almost  every 
comfort  deemed  necessary  by  civilized  people.  Besides,  he 
could  entertain  no  reasonable  hope  of  being  restored  to  his 
home  and  kindred — and  more  than  all,  his  life  was  at  the 
mercy,  whim,  or  caprice,  of  savage  masters. 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  109 

One  of  the  tasks  imposed  upon  him  in  the  winter  season, 
was  to  draw  upon  a  sled  his  Indian  mother  to  such  places  as 
she  wished  to  visit,  and  especially  to  the  feasts  and  council 
assemblages  of  her  tribe.  Upon  occasion  of  a  "  dog  feast," 
which  bv  the  usages  of  her  people,  all  were  expected  to 
attend,  he  proceeded  with  her,  in  this  manner,  until,  ascend- 
ing a  hill  which  was  steep  and  slippery,  he  found  his  strength, 
when  put  to  its  utmost  power,  barely  adequate  to  make  any 
headway.  By  perseverance  and  exertion,  however,  he  was 
enabled  to  reach  nearly  the  summit  of  the  hill,  when  he 
slipped  and  fell ;  and  either  by  design,  or  inability  to  hold  on, 
left  the  sled,  with  its  mortal  load,  to  find  the  bottom  of  the 
declivity  without  a  pilot — secretly  wishing,  no  doubt,  that 
her  appetite  for  riding  would  be  cured  by  this  trip.  In  this 
perilous  adventure,  the  sled  struck  a  stump  near  the  foot 
of  the  hill,  which  capsized  the  squaw,  who  was  severely 
injured  by  the  fall.  Whether  an  accident  or  not,  Hayes 
professed  much  sorrow  for  the  disaster,  and  managed  the 
affair  so  adroitly,  that  he  escaped  every  imputation  of  blame, 
and  continued  to  retain  the  confidence  and  good  opinion  of 
the  Indians. 

Shortly  after  this  event,  he  was  sold  to  a  Frenchman  in 
Montreal,  through  the  agency,  it  is  said,  of  a  Papist  priest. 
His  new  master  was  very  kind,  and  allowed  him  many  of  the 
necessaries,  with  some  of  the  luxuries,  of  life,  of  which  he 
had  been  so  long  deprived.  Learning  that  Hayes  was  by 
trade  a  weaver,  he  started  him  in  this  business,  and  by 
allowing  him  a  share  of  the  profits,  Hayes  was  enabled,  in 
the  course  of  about  two  years,  to  earn  money  enough  to 
purchase  his  freedom.  The  good  Frenchman  not  only 
emancipated  him,  but  supplied  him  with  clothes,  provisions, 
and  a  half-breed  guide  to  conduct  him  safely  through  the 
warring  tribes  on  his  journey  homeward.  The  guide  pro- 
ceeding with  him  as  far  as  Mount  Holyoke,  pointed  out  to 
him  the  smoke  of  his  friends,  "  the  pale  faces,"  wished  him 
a  happy  return  to  his  family,  and  departed  in  another  direc- 
tion to  wend  his  way  back  to  Canada.     In  about  twenty-five 


110  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

days  after  leaving  Montreal,  Hayes  had  the  happiness  to 
reath  his  home,  and  to  exchange  hearty  greetings  and  con- 
gratulations with  his  friends,  to  whom  he  appeared  almost 
"  as  one  raised  from  the  dead." 

Thus,  after  an  absence  of  about  seven  years,  the  captive  was 
restored  to  freedom,  a  home,  and  a  happy  circle  of  relatives 
and  friends.  He  had  heard  nothing  from  his  family  since 
his  capture,  nor  had  they  received  any  tidings  of  him,  though 
they  either  knew,  or  had  good  reason  to  suppose,  that  he  had 
been  taken  and  carried  off  by  the  Indians.  His  friends  had 
flattered  themselves,  for  a  long  while,  that  he  would  be 
spared  to  return  to  them,  but  his  long  absence  had  extin- 
guished every  vestige  of  hope,  and  he  had  for  some  time 
been  given  up  as  lost. 

With  buoyant  spirits,  renovated  courage,  and  unshaken 
resolution,  he  set  himself  to  the  task  of  making  up  for  the 
lost  time  he  had  spent  with  the  Indians.  His  constitution, 
naturally  robust,  had  suffered  nothing  by  his  long  captivity, 
and  his  ambition  had  lost  none  of  its  tire.  He  married, 
settled  down  upon  a  farm,  and  within  a  short  time,  became 
a  thriving  agriculturist.  In  1720,  he  built  a  house  on  the 
east  side  of  Salmon  Brook  Street,  in  the  lower  or  southern 
part  of  the  street,  which  was  standing  until  within  a  few  years 
past.  In  this  house  religious  meetings  were  held  during 
some  four  or  five  years  before  the  erection  of  the  first  meet- 
ing-house of  that  society,  in  1743. 

Mr.  Hayes  became  a  prominent  citizen,  was  often  employed 
in  civil  affairs,  and  during  many  years,  was  a  pillar  in  the 
church  at  Salmon  Brook,  of  which  he  was  a  member  at  its 
organization.  He  lived  to  see  the  infant  settlement,  so  long 
exposed  to  Indian  barbarities,  a  populous  village,  with  no 
crafty  enemy  to  disturb  its  repose,  and  strong  enough,  had 
danger  existed,  to  protect  its  inhabitants  from  plunder  or 
capture.  But,  long  before  his  death,  all  Indian  diflSculties 
had  ceased. 

He  died,  1756,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  and  was  buried 
in  the  cemetery  at  the  north  end  of  the  village.     A  red  free- 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  HI 

stone  monument  marks  the  spot  of  his  last  resting-place,  on 
which  is  inscribed  the  following  epitaph  : 

HERE  LIES  TE  BODY  OF 

MR.    DANIEL    HAYES, 

Who  served  his  Generation  in  steady  course  of  Probity  and  Piety, 

and  was  a  lover  of  Peace,  and  God's  Public  Worship ; 

And  being  satisfied  with  Long  life, 

left  this  world  with  a  Comfortable  Hope  of  life  Eternal, 

Sept.  3d,  1756, 

in  ye  71  year  of  his  Age. 

In  Oct.  1713  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Colony  voted  as 
follows : 

"Upon  consideration  of  the  petition  of  Daniel  Hayes  of  Symsbury,  having 
been  taken  by  the  Indian  enemy  and  carried  captive  to  Canada — praying  for 
some  relief:  This  Assembly  do  grant  unto  the  petitioner  the  sum  of  seven 
pounds,  to  be  paid  him  out  of  the  public  treasury  of  this  Colony." 

The  Red-Men  who,  for  unknown  generations,  roved  among 
the  forests  and  occupied  the  fine  fisheries  of  Massaco  are 
now  departed  forever.  "  Slowly  and  sadly  they  climb  the 
distant  mountains  and  read  their  doom  in  the  setting  sun," 
while  the  Pale-Faces  follow  in  their  wake,  and  transform  their 
hunting-grounds  into  peaceful  and  pleasant  abodes  of  a  hap- 
pier civilization. 

"  'Tis  not  two  centuries  since  they — 
The  red-men — traversed  here ; 
And  o'er  these  pleasant  hills  and  vales 
Pursued  the  bounding  deer- 
Yet  of  their  moral  weal  or  woe 
No  trace  is  left  to-day, 
For,  like  the  foam  upon  the  wave, 
They  all  have  passed  away  !  " 

Some  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago  a  straggling  Indian  and  squaw 
were  occasionally  to  be  met  with  in  this  vicinity,  depending 
mainly  upon  selling  a  few  baskets  and  mats,  or  upon  the 
charity  of  the  inhabitants,  for  support.  In  the  vicinity  of 
Copper  Hill  and  other  parts  of  East  Granby,  and  in  neigh- 
boring towns  there  are  often  dug  up  Indian  relics,  sach  as 
arrow-heads,  stone  axes,  stone  pots,  mortars  and  pestles  for 
pounding  corn,  and  rude  weapons  of  war. 

Revolutionary  Incidents. 
East  Granby 's  limits  furnished — in  proportion  to  her  then 


112  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTIUT. 

sparse  settlement — a  fall  quota  of  patriotic  soldiers  for  the 
War  of  the  Revolution,  and  also  for  the  war  of  1812.  Some 
thirty  soldiers  volunteered  or  were  drafted  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  a  number  of  them  served  during  the  entire  war. 

Colonel  Andrew  Hillyer,  a  native  of  East  Granby,  and 
father  of  General  Charles  T.  Hillyer,  of  Hartford,  was  a 
sergeant  in  the  Indian  war  and  was  at  the  siege  of  Havana, 
thirteen  years  before  the  Revolution.  He  then  enlisted  in 
that  war — was  a  lieutenant,  afterwards  captain  of  dragoons, 
and  served  eight  years.  After  the  war  he  was  colonel  of  the 
militia.     He  died  at  East  Granby  in  1S28,  aged  86. 

One  of  the  notables  of  East  Granby  was  the  Honorable 
Samuel  "Woodruff.  At  the  age  of  17,  while  at  Yale  College, 
bearing  of  the  efforts  of  the  Americans  to  capture  Bur- 
goyne's  army  at  Saratoga,  he  with  several  other  students 
hastened  with  all  possible  speed  to  the  scene  of  conflict, 
arriving  there  in  time  to  participate  in  that  decisive  battle, 
and  to  witness  the  ceremonies  of  the  surrender.  He  was  for 
some  years  a  judge  of  the  court  of  Hartford  county,  and  one 
of  the  overseers  of  Newgate  prison.  In  1828  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  commissioner  to  distribute  supplies  to  the  suffering 
Greeks  after  their  war  with  the  Turks,  and  at  the  age  of  70 
crossed  the  Atlantic  and  accomplished  that  misson  of  charity. 
His  remarkably  retentive  memory,  stored  with  a  fund  of 
historic  facts,  together  with  his  ready  application  of  anec- 
dote and  sallies  of  wit  and  humor,  made  his  society  instruct- 
ive and  agreeable  to  all  classes.  He  died  at  East  Granby,  in 
1850,  aged  nearly  91. 

Lemuel  Bates  was  a  captain  during  the  Revolution,  and  par- 
ticipated in  several  battles.  For  many  years  Captain  Bates 
kept  a  tavern  in  the  north  part  of  East  Granby,  in  the  house 
where  his  grandson,  "NYm.  H.  Bates,  now  lives.  The  merry 
old  gentleman  was  fond  of  fighting  his  battles  over  again 
by  relating  his  reminiscences  of  those  interesting  times. 
After  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  with  his  once  splendid 
army  of  10,000  men,  at  Saratoga,  several  detachments  of  the 
British  prisoners  of  war  were  marched  through  East  Granby, 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  113 

and  a  portion  of  them  bivouacked  on  the  premises  of 
Captain  Bates.  "  The  British  had  plenty  of  money,"  said  Cap- 
tain Bates,  "  to  pay  for  the  best  we  had ;  and  my  folks  were 
kept  busy  in  distributing  pitchers  and  pails  of  cider  among 
them.  At  night  all  the  floors  in  my  tavern  were  spread  over 
with  them,'' 

Another  portion  of  the  British  captives  encamped  on  the 
premises  of  Captain  Roswell  Phelps,"^  near  the  centre  of 
East  Granby.  These  prisoners  of  war  were  an  interesting 
sight,  and  excited  an  inspiring  curiosity  in  all  this  region. 

At  one  time  several  teams  laden  with  specie,  en  route 
from  Boston  to  Philadelphia,  halted  for  the  night  at  Captain 
Bates's.  The  specie  had  been  borrowed  from  France ;  which 
nation  was  then  fraternally  aiding  us  in  our  struggle.  It 
was  enclosed  in  strong  plank  boxes,  drawn  by  thirteen  teams, 
well  guarded ;  and  amounted  to  several  millions  of  dollars. 

Among  those  captives  in  Burgoyne's  army  was  one  by  the 
name  of  Charles  Stevens.  He  belonged  to  one  of  the  com- 
panies of  grenadiers  who  were  selected  as  being  the  tallest 
and  most  martial  in  appearance  of  the  British  troops.  He 
was  about  6^  feet  in  height,  according  to  the  author's  recol- 
lection of  him.  In  that  connection  he  used  to  remark,  "  I 
was  among  the  short  men  in  my  company,  and  so  was  placed 
on  the  left  of  the  line." 

It  came  to  pass  that  Stevens  took  to  himself  a  wife  and 
settled  in  East  Granby.  Being  under  the  necessity  of  "turn- 
ing his  sword  into  a  ploughshare  and  his  spear  into  a  pruning 
hook,"  he  served  as  a  day  laborer  for  farmers  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. He  was  particularly  expert  in  digging  ditches,  and 
usually  went  by  the  name  of  "  the  ditcher."  Two  maidens 
of  the  neighborhood  meeting  him  one  day  innocently  saluted 
him  with — "  Good  morning,  Mr.  Ditcher." 

The  old  veteran  turned  upon  the  damsels  with  flashing 

♦  Captain  Phelps  went  into  the  service  at  the  age  ol  16.  His  son,  Roswell  H., 
now  lives  upon  a  part  of  the  same  farm,  at  the  aire  of  88,  in  robust  health,  and 
brings  down  the  scales  at  261 ;  and  his  son  (th«  author  of  this  work)  is  the  sixtb 
generation  that  has  resided  on  a  pa-rt  of  «<ud  premises. 


114  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

eye  and  informed  tnem  that  he  did  not  acknowledge  that 
title,  exclaiming  with  a  haughty  look  "  I  am  a  grenadier  of 
General  Burgoyne's  army  and  was  a  big  man  before  you 
were  born  1 " 

Oae  of  East  Granby's  sons  who  rose  to  distinction  was  the 
Hon.  Walter  Forward.*  When  at  the  age  of  20,  his  father 
removed  with  his  family  (in  1803)  to  Ohio;  and  young 
Forward,  on  foot,  drove  an  ox-team  laden  with  household 
goods,  as  was  the  custom  of  travelling  then.  He  afterwards 
removed  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  law,  became  a  Member  of  Congress,  Secretary  of  the 
United  States'  Treasury,  and  Minister  to  Denmark.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  Chief  Judge  of  the  court  in  Penn- 
sylvania.    He  died  at  the  age  of  69. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  those  from  East  Granby  who  were 
engaged  in  the  Kevolution,  and  in  the  War  of  1812 — though 
there  may  have  been  others  whose  names  are  not  herein 
enumerated : 

Revolutionary  Soldiers. 

Col.  Andrew  Hillyer,  Hon.  Samuel  Woodruff,  Capt.  Isaac 
Owen,  Capt.  Lemuel  Bates,  Capt.  Matthew  Griswold,  Capt. 
Roswell  Phelps,  Sergt.  Richard  Gay,  Joel  Clark,  Reuben 
Clark,  Zoplier  Bates,  John  Forward,  Hezekiah  Holcomb, 
John  Cornish,  Asahel  Holcomb,  Thomas  Stevens,  Jesse 
Clark,  Joseph  Clark,  John  Thrall,  Luke  Thrall,  David  Eno, 
Reuben  Phelps,  Samuel  Clark,  Joseph  Dyer. 
War  of  1812. 

Dan  Forward,  Joseph  Cornish,  Appollos  Gay,  Orson  P. 
Phelps,  Calvin  Holcomb,  Alex.  Hoskins,  Wm.  K.  Thrall, 
Eratus  Holcomb,  Gurdon  Gould,  Peultha  Clark,  Uriah 
Holcomb,  Elihu  Andruss,  John  G.  Munn,  Alex.  Clark, 
Abiel  Clark,  Chandler  Owen,  Sardius  Thrall,  Charles  Buck, 
Elihu  Phelps,  Ephraim  Shaylor,  William  Rockwell,  Jesse 
Clark,  Jr. 


•  A  Bister  of  his.  Mrs.  Hannah  Clark,  now  resides  in  East  Granby,  at  the  venerable 
age  of  91 — being  the  oldest  person  in  town — and  in  fair  enjoyment  of  her  naturally 
strong  mental  faculties 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  115 

Society  Matters. 

The  ''Society  of  Turkey  Hills,"  in  East  Granby,  was 
formed  in  1736,  and  comprised,  at  the  time,  forty -six  families. 
The  first  church  was  built  in  1738,  the  site  having  been 
previously  fixed  by  a  committee  appointed  by  the  General 
Assembly.  There  had  been  for  several  years  previously 
such  a  bitter  controversy  over  the  formation  of  societies  and 
location  of  sites  for  churches  in  Granby,  and  the  societies 
had  become  so  much  disorganized  that  the  Assembly  refused 
to  appoint  any  Justices  of  the  Peace  in  the  town  for  three 
years — 1731  to  1734.  The  old  church  remained  in  a  rough 
condition  for  about  half  a  century  when,  in  1794,  it  was 
thoroughly  repaired  and  a  steeple  built.  In  1830  having 
stood  for  ninety-two  years,  it  was  taken  down,  and  a  hand- 
some one,  built  of  stone,  was  erected  on  a  new  site,  in  1831. 

For  several  years  previous  to  the  removal  of  the  prison 
from  Newgate,  the  State  united  with  the  society  of  Turkey 
Hills  in  employing  a  chaplain  to  preach  a  part  of  each  Sun- 
day in  the  prison  chapel,  where  all  who  desired  were  allowed 
to  assemble  in  the  same  room  with  the  convicts. 

It  is  interesting  to  look  over  the  ecclesiastical  records  of 
East  Granby  just  one  hundred  years  ago,  and  note  the 
prevailing  habits  and  customs  of  those  Revolutionary  times. 
In  1776  it  appears  that  Kev.  Aaron  Booge  was  settled*  as  a 
minister  in  that  society,  and  the  following  is  on  the  society 
records. 

*'Oct.  22d  1776 — Voted  to  give  Mr.  Aaron  Booge  Two  hundred  Pounds  as  a 
settlement,  to  be  paid  in  four  Equal  payments,  to  be  paid  in  four  yes  after  set- 
tlement.—Also  Toted  to  give  Mr.  Booge  as  a  Sallery,  Fifty  Pounds  a  year  for  ye 
first  four  yes,  and  then  to  rise  to  Sixty  pounds,  and  it  is  to  be  understood  that 
ye  people  of  s"^  Society  shall  have  Liberty  yearly,  to  Pay  the  one  half  of  s"^  Sellery 
in  Wheat,  Rye,  &  Indian  Com,  or  either  of  them,  at  ye  common  market  Price. — 
Voted  also  to  give  ye  s'^  Mr.  Booge,  Twenty  Seven  Cords  of  good  Siseable  Wood 
a  year,  yearly ;  and  it  is  to  be  understood  that  Less  answering  the  end,  then  the 
whole  is  not  to  be  Required,  and  it  is  to  be  understood  That  the  above  Payments 
are  to  be  equivalent  to  the  Present  Lawful  money  of  the  State  of  Coneccticut ; 
Silver  being  Six  Shillings  and  eight  Pence  to  the  ounce,  or  to  be  p<*  in  bills  of 

♦As  a  fit  preparation  for  the  day  of  ordination  the  society  voted  to  appoint 
seventeen  tavern  keepers! 


116  NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

Public  credit,  &  grain  as  above  mentioned  equivalent  tbereto."— Two  years 
later  the  price  of  Wheat  was  voted  by  the  society  '*  ai  5",  Rye  at  3%  and  Corn  at 
2-6  a  bushel." 

This  Eev.  gentleman  afterwards  distinguished  himself  in 
the  War  of  1812,  as  Chaplain  in  the  army  under  Gen.  Jack- 
son. He  was  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  the  old  hero,  and 
was  fond  of  relating  his  adventures  while  in  the  army. 

The  way  to  keach  Coppp:r  Hill. 

As  the  old  caverns  and  vicinity  will  continue  to  be  a  place 
of  classic  interest,  the  tourist  £.nd  visitor  will  ask  how  to 
reach  there.  The  N.  Y.,  N.  H.  &  Hartford  R.  R.,  Shelburne 
Falls  Branch,  passes  about  one  mile  west,  and  the  nearest 
station  on  that  road  being  at  Granby,  two  and  one-fourth 
miles  southwest.  The  Central  New  England  R.  R.  passes 
through  Tariffville  about  three  miles  south,  and  also  East 
Granby,  one  and  one-fourth  miles  distant,  this  being  the 
nearest  railroad  station  of  any.  Windsor  Locks,  seven  miles 
east,  is  on  the  N.  Y.,  N.  H.  &  Hartford  R.  R.  From  either 
of  these  places,  teams  can  be  had  to  convey  travellers  to  the 
mines. 

There  can  be  seen  most  of  the  old  prison  buildings, — the 
guardhouse,  treadmill,  and  several  of  the  workshops  &c., 
all  bearing  marks  of  decay  and  dilapidation.  The  old  stone- 
wall enclosure  surmounted  with  watch-towers  is  standing, 
and  the  moat  or  ditch,  once  fourteen  feet  deep,  still  yawns 
above  the  subterraneous  excavations.  Were  this  weird  place 
with  all  its  eventful  associations  located  in  Europe,  it  would 
be  a  special  and  marked  object  for  description  in  the  writings 
of  tourists ;  and  the  wonder  is  that  people,  even  in  this  State 
know  so  little  of  the  classic  features  of  Newgate.  Says 
NordhofF,  "There  have  been  Americans  who  saw  Rome 
before  they  saw  Niagara."  Upon  the  craggy  rocks  which 
overhang  it  on  the  east,  there  is  a  bold,  magnificent  view,  of 
great  scope  to  the  north,  south,  and  west,  and  if  a  few  forest- 
trees  were  cleared  away  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  ledge, 
a  splendid  panoramic  view  of  great  extent  and  beauty  would 
be  unfolded,  the  whole  equalling,  if  not   surpassing,   the 


NEWGATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 


117 


celebrated  Wadswortli  tower.  Tlie  ascent  to  the  cliff,  a  little 
south  of  it,  is  not  difficult,  acd  with  little  labor  a  more 
convenient  fliglit  of  steps  could  be  made  out  of  the  quanties 
of  stones  and  rock,  lying  loosely  along  its  sides  and  base. 

The  caverns,  only  about  one  hundred  rods  distant  from  the 
ledge,  will  remain  for  ages  to  come,  and  continue  to  grow  in 
interest  during  the  flight  of  years.  Some  of  the  buildings 
now  falling  to  decay,  could  be  repaired  and  preserved,  and 
the  old  guard-house  made  a  place  for  entertainment.  If  put 
in  proper  condition,  the  place  would  attract  a  large  number 
to  explore  the  mines,  to  view  the  romantic  scenery  in  the 
vicinity  and  surrounding  country,  and  enjoy  the  invigorating 
benefits  of  the  pure  mountain  air.  The  piscatorian  could 
indulge  his  sportive  pastime  at  Southwick  ponds,  lying  about 
four  miles  to  the  north,  and  comprising  hundreds  of  acres 
in  extent,  where  a  small  steamboat  is  employed  during  the 
summer,  for  the  use  of  the  numerous  pleasure  parties  who 
meet  there  for  fishing,  clambaking,  dancing,  etc. 


